The Vice Principal in the Moon
by Supa Supa Bad Truly Mad Moves
Summary: When otherworldly magic turns Vice Principal Luna into a strangely familiar villain, friends from both sides of the mirror must team up to combat the new threat.
1. Chapter 1

**The Vice Principal in the Moon**

**Disclaimer:** _Equestria_ _Girls_ is the property of Hasbro.

Okay, well, here's a brief fic designed to burn off the inspiration that _Equestria Girls_ provided for me. At least it'll be brief in comparison with my current _MLP_ fic, the season-2-based _Romance and the Fate of Equestria_, which has recently achieved official "epic" length of 100,000 words, and isn't done by a long shot.

So, to reiterate, this is just something minor and fun for me to write alongside my real opus, the destined-for-greatness _Romance_. Of course, since I've said that, I've probably jinxed both stories, forcing this one to become a fandom classic and _Romance_ to fade into obscurity. And since I've said THAT, that'll probably reverse the jinx and make things go the way I want them to. And since I've said THAT—well it's a vicious cycle.

Now that you know what kind of rants you'll be getting into, please sit back, relax, and enjoy _The Vice Principal in the Moon_.

**Chapter One**

-0-0-0-0-0-

Rarity and Fluttershy strolled up to the nacho stand at the city mall, laden with shopping bags and giggling to each other.

"Hello," Rarity said brightly to the boy behind the counter. "Just the big nacho basket for the three of us."

The boy looked a bit confused, but punched in the order. Suspecting the reasons behind his puzzled look, Rarity and Fluttershy looked around.

"I said the _three_ of us," Rarity called over her shoulder. "Would you get over here?"

Sunset Shimmer emerged from behind a large potted plant and joined them, rubbing her own arms reassuringly and her eyes downcast.

"Still don't like to be seen with us?" Rarity said coldly.

"No," Sunset said hastily. "No, no, no, that's not it at all… I'm afraid of being seen _in general_…"

"Oh," Fluttershy said softly, pulling Sunset into a comforting hug. "We understand. Come on, let's take a seat."

They sat down at a food court table, Sunset continuing to glance all around nervously, trying to keep her face covered.

"Sunset, darling, what are you hiding from?" Rarity asked. "You've been jittery for the past few days. Haven't all of our months together eased your mind a bit? No one blames you anymore."

"I'm not hiding from anything," Sunset insisted. "I've just been… wondering whether I made the right decision in—gah! Hide me!" She ducked under the table.

"Hide you?" Fluttershy said blankly. Sunset's arms darted up and pulled the other two under the table with her.

"What's gotten into you?" Rarity hissed.

Sunset didn't respond, just pointed, wide-eyed and with shaky hands, at someone who had entered the food court. Rarity and Fluttershy followed her gaze to the purple-haired girl laden with a heavy backpack.

"But… but that's Twilight!" Fluttershy said eagerly. "How's that possible? Oh, this is wonderful! _Hey, Tw_—"

Sunset Shimmer clamped her hands over Fluttershy's mouth. "That's not the Twilight we know," she whispered. "That's the Twilight native to _this_ world. She wouldn't recognize you."

"Ohhh," Rarity said with dawning comprehension.

"But she's not who I'm hiding from," Sunset went on. "I mean, her too, but… look."

Another girl joined Twilight, one who overshadowed her greatly with her more upright posture and commanding presence.

"It's _you!_" Rarity blurted.

"Sure is," Sunset said, hiding behind Rarity. "I don't run into her often, but I don't want to think about what would happen if we actually met. Can you imagine if the whole Fall Formal thing had made the news? There'd be a lot of awkward questions…"

"What would happen if you met?" Fluttershy whispered. "Would the world fall out of balance or something?"

"No, it'd just be embarrassing," Sunset muttered.

The alternate Sunset and Twilight chatted animatedly for a moment, then hugged, before bypassing the food court and heading off together.

The three came out from underneath the table and watched the retreating girls.

"Huh… looks like those two are friends," Sunset said blankly. "That's… encouraging." She sighed and stared at the table.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't belong here," she said through gritted teeth. "I should've gone back to Equestria with Twilight and faced justice."

Rarity put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, you didn't, and there's no sense in wasting time wishing you had. It's another two years before you can go back, and you'll just drive yourself crazy if you spend all that time thinking about it."

Sunset blinked. "Two years?"

"Thirty moons, that's thirty months, right? Two and a half years?"

"Oh, I see," Sunset said, laughing slightly. "No, no, that's how things work _here_, yes, but in Equestria, the phases of the moon are entirely artificial. The portal opens roughly every three months. In fact, it's open right now."

Rarity looked shocked. "Then what are you doing…?"

"I said I _should_ go back and face justice, not that I want to," she mumbled. "Equestria justice can be rough sometimes. Princess Celestia is nothing if not fair. If I went back to her now, after all I've done? She'd be merciless. And, you know, I have a date, so… yeah." She grinned awkwardly. "Can't miss a date just to pop back and take what's coming to me. That just wouldn't be cool."

"And you're all about 'cool', aren't you?" Rarity said softly.

"Hey, it's all I have left," Sunset said with desperation. "It's all I ever had."

Rarity didn't speak, just placed her hand atop Sunset's.

"I wonder if Twilight will ever come back through the portal," Fluttershy said, still staring in the direction the other Twilight had gone. "_Our_ Twilight."

"Why would she bother?" Sunset said. "She's got another set of you guys back home."

Rarity snorted. "Well, be that as it may… that doesn't mean that she… that she doesn't… um… you still have a lot to learn about friendship, Sunset Shimmer."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"And as chairman of the school board, it is my honor to present the award for Principal of the Year… to Celestia of Canterlot High School."

Celestia walked up to the stage to the polite applause of every teacher in the district, and accepted her golden plaque from the chairman of the board. The chairman was a tall and skinny man, gray-skinned and bald-headed with bushy white eyebrows and beard, bulging red eyes and oddly pointy ears.

"Thank you, Director Discord," Celestia said gratefully, taking the podium. "I'd like to thank the board of education for this award. I haven't been a principal for very long, but every teacher who came before me and encouraged me on my way has inspired me to be the best principal I can be. And I especially appreciate the support I've continued to receive from the board, even in light of the… mysterious events of the Canterlot High Fall Formal. I certainly could not have gotten through that alone. Thank you."

The audience applauded again.

"Well said," Discord said softly.

Celestia extended her right hand to him, but he responded with a derisive smirk and the extension of his _left_ arm which, peculiarly, was much thinner than his right. Celestia awkwardly retracted her arm and shook his hand with her left. She returned to her table, where her sister offered a congratulatory pat on the back.

"Well done, sister," Luna said. "How does it feel to be the youngest principal in the district ever to win Principal of the Year?"

"Oh, like it's just the beginning!" Celestia said, smiling at her plaque. "I don't really care about the award… just so long as it means I'm making a difference to my students."

"Yes, you have been quite the influence," Luna said quietly.

Celestia blinked, then smiled and touched her sister comfortingly. "Listen, Luna… soon you're going to move up. In a few years, _you'll_ be getting the Principal of the Year award. You might even beat my record for the youngest."

Luna looked away. "That would be something, wouldn't it?"

Director Discord watched that exchange, then disappeared behind the stage curtains.

"You were right, there's jealousy there," he said thoughtfully. "We can use that."

"I told you," said a smarmy female voice from the shadows.

"We must use everything we can," Discord said, pacing back and forth. "Principal Celestia has to go. She's set the bar far too high for the rest of the district. We cannot afford to pay for all of those fantastic innovations of hers, especially not when other schools start clamoring for them. We need to get her fired so a less free-thinking mind can take over Canterlot High… probably that jealous and incompetent sister of hers."

"I completely understand, Mr. Discord."

"Are you prepared to handle the task I have given you?" Discord said seriously, staring into the shadow.

The familiar Canterlot High student stepped out into the open, her spangled cape held menacingly in front of her face. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is more than ready to dig up enough dirt to topple the tyrannical regime of Principal Celestia!"

She clapped her hands and was enveloped in a cloud of pale pink smoke. When it cleared, she was still there, motionless, her face smeared with pink dust. Discord raised an eyebrow.

"Um…" Trixie said nervously, before clearing her throat and coughing. "Snips! Snails!"

The two freshmen popped out of a janitorial closet and tripped over themselves, scrambling to Trixie's side.

"Are you boys ready to serve the _new_ queen bee of Canterlot High?"

"Ready and able-bodied, eh!" Snails proclaimed.

"You are so much cooler than Sunset Shimmer, oh great and powerful one!" Snips gushed.

"_Ha!_ Pwned," Trixie said through a vicious smirk. "We're prepared to tear her as far down as necessary, Mr. Discord."

"For what I'm paying you, I expect only the highest level of cunning and ruthlessness," Discord said dryly. "Now clear off before someone catches us plotting."

The boys saluted, and they and Trixie scampered off into the back passages behind the stage.

~0~0~0~

"So, this is it, then?" Queen Chrysalis sneered in her reverberating voice. "After months of intrigue, it finally comes down to me against the Elements of Harmony."

"That's right!" Twilight declared, spreading her wings and standing tall to display her crown.

Chrysalis stood on a hilltop in the Everfree Forest, Twilight and the other five Element holders surrounding her and bearing the necklaces.

"What'll it be, then?" Chrysalis asked. "Turned to stone? Shattered into pieces? A new kind and loving personality forced upon me against my will?"

"Well, that's the fun part," Rainbow Dash said. "We don't really know."

"Fine, clearly I'm licked," Chrysalis said pleasantly. "Do as you will, I just hope your conscience can live with it."

"Fire 'em up, girls!" Twilight commanded.

Twilight felt the energy flowing into the Element of Magic that decorated her crown. All around her, she saw the others' necklaces activating as well… but something was strange.

One-half of each gem was glowing white, while the other half remained normal. There was no other effect; none of the ponies went floating into the air, no sparkling rainbows or glowing eyes, just a weak white glow on _half_ of each gem.

One by one, the ponies started noticing each other's gems failing, then looking down at their own. All eyes turned questioningly toward Twilight.

Exasperated, she whipped off her crown and levitated it in front of her face, inspecting the gem. Like the others, it was only half alight—and with Twilight's concentration broken, the light faded, as did all the others.

The six ponies and the changeling they had pinned in stood in stunned silence for a moment.

"Twilight, sugarcube, what just happened?" Applejack said in a strained voice.

"I'll tell you what just happened," Chrysalis said brightly. "The queen of the changelings heads for the hills and lives to fight another day!" Her wings started buzzing and she shot into the air. "You've torn down my empire, but you haven't seen the last of me! Sleep with one eye open, my little ponies!" She vanished into the distant sky.

Rainbow Dash spread her wings. "Should I…?"

"Oh, let her go," Twilight muttered. "We've spent two months foiling her scheme, all that was left was her. What's she gonna do out there in the forest all by herself? The bigger question here is what in the world is wrong with the Elements of Harmony?" She tapped the star-shaped amethyst with her hoof. "It's like… it's like only _half_ of their power was activated. But what could have caused that?"

Rainbow ground her teeth. "Ooh, I've got a baaaad feeling…"

"Come on, everypony," Twilight said. "Let's get back to Canterlot and tell Princess Celestia about this. Maybe she knows how this can be fixed."

"I hope so," said Pinkie, examining her necklace. "'Cause let me tell you, I speak from experience, half a balloon just plain doesn't work."

"Indeed it doesn't," Twilight said under her breath. "And the Elements of Harmony at half capacity, that's just _begging_ for something terrible to happen…"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**Endnotes**

There we have it, first chapter of a new tale… my only ending remark is that "~0~0~0~" means the following scene takes place in Equestria, while "-0-0-0-0-0-" means it takes place in the human world. And also, I only just discovered this after breaking scenes that way for _years_, each one of those zeroes adds to my word count. Makes me wonder how many words total I've _actually_ submitted…


	2. Chapter 2

**The Vice Principal in the Moon**

**Chapter Two**

-0-0-0-0-0-

"So you see what I'm saying?" Sunset Shimmer said anxiously, pacing the floor. "How can I go back? But how can I _not_ go back?"

"Yeah, I see your problem," Flash Sentry agreed, reclining atop several piles of boxes.

"I mean," she went on, as if he hadn't spoken, "if I want to prove that I've really repented, I should probably turn myself in as a law-abiding—gah!" She had tripped over a mop that was lying across the ground. Angrily, she kicked it upright, back to leaning against the wall. "Not that I need to prove anything. I mean, far from it."

"Of course not," Flash agreed.

"Point is, I don't belong _anywhere_," Sunset grumbled, fists clenched. "I have no future in Equestria. I'll never be forgiven there. But here? I'm not gonna do much better here. I don't have any idea how I'll make it in this world once I'm done with high school."

"Do any of us?" Flash said casually.

Sunset stopped in her tracks. "That… is actually a really good point," she said. She looked him over, impressed. "Thank you."

She crawled onto the pile of boxes, sprawling her body out practically on top of his and holding both of his hands in hers. "That really makes me feel a lot better about still being here."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for," he said, kissing the back of her head.

They snuggled silently for a few moments.

"So…" Flash finally said, looking around. "This is where you've been staying? For all these years?"

It was a dark room, filled with dusty storage crates, janitorial equipment, and old musical instruments. The floor was so cluttered, it was a wonder they had even managed to walk as far into the room as they had.

"Yeah, pretty sweet, huh?" Sunset said. "It's just a storage room in the basement that hasn't seen any use in decades. I, um… I manage. I always assumed this would be a temporary situation for me, that I'd really never _need_ to leave the school. It was my country, and all the students were my subjects. Why would I leave? But I guess… now might be a good time to start staying with friends."

"You should," Flash agreed. "I mean, this… this can't make you happy."

"Happy," Sunset replied dully. "It's a tricky thing, 'happy'. I _thought_ I was happy when I was intimidating the whole school into submission. And maybe I was, but looking back… I don't know. And now, even though I go through every day torn apart by guilt, I've never been happier… because now I understand friendship. …Almost. …Maybe."

She sighed and rolled herself into a sitting position. "And on Monday… the Monday after the whole Fall Formal thing… when I came in to school and I was so scared of what they'd all think of me… but you came up to me, and you asked me out? I'd never been so terrified before. And at the same time, _thrilled_. Just so blindingly thrilled. I'd never known feelings could get so conflicted."

He sat up and wrapped an arm around her. "Welcome to the real world," he said. "Nice to finally have you here."

"Good to be here," Sunset said, nodding. "Especially with you."

"You were turning over a new leaf, starting a new life. What was I gonna do? _Not_ be there to support you?"

Willing herself to sink back into his embrace, she put her head on his shoulder. "You have a thing for girls who have no idea what world they're in, don't you?"

"I guess," he said, chuckling.

"You miss her," she said bluntly.

"Not as much as I'd miss you if you left."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Good answer."

"I wasn't trying to give a 'good answer'," Flash said. "I was being honest."

"I know you were, I… I know," Sunset grumbled.

"Look, Sunset, about Twilight…" Flash said gently. "We talked a bit, we danced once. All things considered, I'm most grateful to her for getting _you_ to see things a different way. She got us back together, that's the most special thing she did."

Sunset tried to keep her lip from trembling. "And… why exactly would you ever want to get back with…?"

He pushed her chin up and looked her in the eye. "I always had a feeling there was more to you than just… the really weird mean girl who thought that the entire world and everything in it was contained within Canterlot High. And yeah, it took a huge blast of magic to yank it out of you, but I was right. There _was_ something tender and beautiful at your center."

Flash snapped his fingers. "_That_ is going into a song… one for you and me to sing together."

"Sounds good," Sunset muttered. She took note of his arm around her, his hand on her shoulder. She scooted a bit closer to him, while gently pulling his hand down the front of her torso and pressing it against her shirt…

Once she forced his hand in contact with her breast, he yelped and jerked it away, tightly gripping her upper arm instead. She turned her head and raised an eyebrow at him incredulously. He laughed weakly.

"Weirdo," she scoffed, before pulling him into a kiss.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Luna wrung her hands as she leaned against the window of Canterlot High's chemistry lab, bathed in moonlight. "Isn't it ready yet?" she said irritably.

A senior girl, tending to various beakers and ingredients, turned her narrow blue eyes upon the vice principal. This student's skin was bone-white, with horizontal black stripes across her cheeks, and was completely bald apart from her black-and-white mohawk. She wore black leather pants, boots, and a zippered top that exposed her midriff.

"Don't give me guff, teacher, I'm doing this for you," Zecora said sternly. "I can do chemistry, not voodoo."

"Apologies," Luna said softly. "This project has… great importance to me. But you know that."

Zecora nodded as she continued stirring methodically. "Yes indeed, you did confide, of a voice you heard from the other side. An odd and potent recipe, to rid you of your jealousy." She dropped a few sprigs of peppermint into the clear liquid, and they floated at the top.

"If this works when it is done, _I'll_ be the disbelieving one," Zecora muttered as she passed the beaker to Luna.

"This… this is it?" Luna whispered. "Zecora, you must tell me if this wasn't made _exactly_ as I told you! It is _beyond_ vital that—"

"After all these weeks of preparation, you doubt that I followed your specifications?" Zecora said coldly.

"All right, all right, no need to get snippy," Luna said. "Remember who's the authority here, won't you?" She looked at the mixture, then back at Zecora, amused. "Have you considered joining the improv club? I'm sure they'd pay to have that rhyming talent of yours on the team."

Zecora slouched. "I'm sure that's something I could do, if I was ever spoken to."

"You're outcast?" Luna said quietly. "At _this_ school, after all that's happened?"

"I don't know what's happened here, but some things don't change," Zecora said bitterly. "I will _always_ be most wondrously strange."

Luna looked disturbed. "Merely a minor oversight on the part of those wonderful junior girls, I'm sure," she muttered. "Those who bonded with Princess Twilight would surely not let anyone feel alone if they knew…"

"I've heard much about this 'Princess' Twilight," Zecora muttered. "I guess perhaps you just might be right. But that can wait 'til morning, I think; let's see what happens when you drink."

"Yes," Luna agreed, looking down at the mixture, wary of it despite its looking deceptively like sparkling water. "Let's see if my friend was truthful…"

She downed the contents of the beaker in a single second, and began quivering. "Yessssss…" she whispered. "My dispatch from beyond the veil was… most accurate…"

Her hair flared up, and she rose into the air, light pouring out of her eyes and her gaping mouth. Zecora slammed herself flat against a wall, stunned.

In an explosion of light, Vice Principal Luna dropped back down to the ground. Zecora rushed to help her up, but darted away when Luna lifted her head.

Her skin was now pitch-black, and the pupils of her eyes were vertical slits. She grinned, displaying a pair of huge fangs.

"Well done, Zecora," she said. "I could never have emerged from that fool's heart if not for you."

"What have you… what have _I_ done to her?" Zecora demanded. "Did she know this would occur?"

"I did. Luna didn't," the woman said. "My friend convinced her it would rid her of her jealousy before it could be overcome by more… irrational emotions. But in truth, my friend knew that if I had existed on one side of the mirror, so too could I return on the other. So it was in our best interest to bring said hateful emotions forward… speed them along to their conclusion."

She pinched Zecora's cheek. "And it's all thanks to you, my dear. You should be proud; you brought Nightmare Moon back into the game." Nightmare Moon's features changed back into Luna's, but she maintained her wicked expression. "Destroying _this_ world's Celestia on every possible level shall serve as a practice run for when my friend and I bring darkness to both worlds. Farewell," she said as she started out of the lab.

"Nightmare Moon, don't be so bold," Zecora said, trying to sound more powerful than she felt. "I'll see that certain people are told."

"Oh, you're going to _tell_ on me?" Nightmare Moon sneered. "Didn't anyone ever tell you—wait a minute, you're new here and nobody ever talks to you, right?"

"Y… yes," Zecora said blankly.

"Good," Nightmare Moon said cheerfully. "Didn't anyone ever tell you there's no such thing as magic? By all means… tell everyone in the school, no one will believe you. Tell all the world, and you'll still be suffering in silence."

Nightmare Moon, in her perfect disguise as the vice principal, walked out into the halls, leaving Zecora dumbfounded.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Sunset Shimmer stood at the base of the statue of the Wondercolt, staring at the white stone wall that was the portal.

She glanced at the moon. "Just a few minutes left, Shimmer," she muttered. "It's time to make a decision." She closed her eyes.

"Help me out here, Princess Celestia. Do you answer prayers? Do you even hear them? Nopony really knows. Look… I didn't come back when I should have because I couldn't face you. I need to know if you'll ever look at me again with the love and affection of a mother to her daughter. How can I come back, knowing that the only mother I ever had is going to gaze down at me with shame and contempt?"

Tears dripped down her cheeks. "I need some kind of sign… before I take a single step, I need a sign of what's going to happen next! Please, Princess… please…"

The back of her neck prickled, and she whirled around, staring up at Canterlot High. At the sight of a person standing on the roof of the school, she ducked behind the statue and squinted up. Even in the dark and at the distance, she recognized Vice Principal Luna.

"Luna?" she muttered. "What are you doing on the roof at three in the morning? Just… staring up at the moon?"

Luna continued staring at the moon, motionless, before turning around and disappearing from view. Sunset walked back out into the open.

"Well, _that_ wasn't suspicious at all," Sunset said dryly. "I've always wondered why you even existed in this world. In Equestria, the process of turning bad and then coming back around took you a thousand years, but that kind of time frame never happens around here… so is that process what I'm looking at right now?" She leaned against the statue. "Maybe I'd be doing this world a disservice if I didn't stay here and keep an eye on you…"

She realized she was leaning against the portal. It was closed. "Well, now I don't have a choice," she said. "Just as well… against all odds, there are girls at this school who are hoping to see me here in the morning. No one's eagerly awaiting my return on the other end… nope, not even a little bit."

Sunset Shimmer yawned and checked her phone for the time. "It _is_ three, right? Yeah, three… guess I could catch another hour or two of sleep before class… gotta be well-rested for the triumphant reveal that I'm sticking around." She stared at the portal again. "I'm sorry, Celestia… Momma. I can't come home. I just… can't bear to disappoint you."

~0~0~0~

Princess Celestia stared into the mirror, exhausted, as the seconds ticked by. She stood still, stiff, barely even breathing or blinking. Finally, she sighed and relaxed, lowering her head.

"Another thirty moons, another no-show," she said resignedly. "Oh, Sunset, my daughter, why won't you come back to me?"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**Endnotes**

Three noteworthy things here at the end… first, the "mother/daughter" thing—not to be taken literally! Just so you know. I'm not that kind of author. Well, except when I am. For another: shortening the phases of the moon is based on bits of speculation taken from the "every hundred moons" aspect of "Apple Family Reunion". A hundred moons is more than eight years, doesn't make sense.

Finally, I debated with myself about whether to make Zecora a student or a teacher… I finally went with student, because she's so much cooler (and more vulnerable!) that way.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Vice Principal in the Moon**

**Chapter Three**

-0-0-0-0-0-

Most of Canterlot High had only the upcoming winter break on their mind at this time of year, but a portion of them had something they looked forward to beforehand: the Winter Harmony, the quietest of the school's four annual dances due to its formal, elegant, highly old-fashioned atmosphere. The gymnasium would be transformed into a winter wonderland, with its floors covered in fake snow, the walls lined with glass fountains, ancient lampposts which would provide the only light, and fake frost-covered bushes and trees.

At the moment, however, it mostly just looked like the gym. The band chosen for this particular gig—seniors consisting of a cellist, pianist, harpist, and a pair of violinists—were tuning and rehearsing up onstage. Fluttershy and Applejack were putting together the artificial foliage, while Big Macintosh spread the first, thin layer of snow, flipping it out of an enormous cardboard box which he was carrying around effortlessly.

"Stick that next piece in, wouldja, Fluttershy?" Applejack said, holding up the base of one tree. Fluttershy found the next clump of pine branches and stuck it into the base.

"I love the Winter Harmony," Fluttershy whispered. "I feel so much more comfortable at a real classical dance than I do when the whole student body is packed together while rock and pop blare from the speakers…"

"Yeah, I 'gree with that," Applejack said. "Helps that not a whole lot of students show up. You really shine at this dance every year."

"I… I wouldn't say I 'shine'," Fluttershy said, blushing and looking down at her feet. "But I do feel more in my element."

"A regular jewel o' winter is what you are," Applejack insisted. "And hey… with Sunset Shimmer steppin' down and keepin' herself to the background these days, I can't wait to see you and Rarity steal the entire event."

"M-mostly Rarity, I think," Fluttershy murmured.

Applejack shrugged. "Suit yerself. Gettin' a nice even layer down over there, brother?"

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh confirmed, passing them by.

"Haaaaa, bmac," Fluttershy choked out.

"What was that?" Applejack said, tilting her head.

"Ha—ha—hhhhbggmc," she squeaked.

Applejack blinked. "Erm… one more time?"

Fluttershy looked over her shoulder, where Big Macintosh had already crossed to the other side of the room. "…I said 'Hi, Big Mac'," she explained to Applejack.

"Oh," Applejack said. "Heh, never mind then."

"Yeah, it was nothing," Fluttershy said, flushing red. "Nothing except… except… um, Applejack?"

"Yeah?" Applejack said brightly.

"I… want to ask your brother to go to the Winter Harmony with me," Fluttershy said as quickly as she could.

Applejack smiled, waiting for her to elaborate. When she didn't, Applejack blinked and frowned. "So, who's stoppin' ya?"

"…Me," Fluttershy peeped.

Applejack chuckled.

"What?" Fluttershy demanded.

"Nothin', just… you're so cute," Applejack muttered. She wrapped an arm around Fluttershy's shoulders. "All right, here's what you need to know: Big Macintosh is twice as shy as you and ten times as oblivious. No amount of hint-droppin' is gonna lead you anywhere. You're gonna have to suck it up and just _ask_."

"Suck it up," Fluttershy repeated. "So you really think he'd say yes if I asked him?"

"I think he'd say 'eeyup', but that's pretty much the same."

"Right…" Fluttershy said. "Um, I'm gonna need more than that to motivate me. How do I build up enough courage to ask him?"

"Easy," Applejack said, stepping back and looking her in the eye. "Just remind yourself o' this simple fact: if you don't ask him, he won't go with you."

Fluttershy blinked. "Wow… it's like I expected you to aim for the knees, but you shot for the heart instead."

"Heh heh. I don't much care for beatin' about the bush, it's true."

"Well, sometimes I do need a good push like that," Fluttershy said thoughtfully. "If I do keep that in mind, maybe I can bring myself to ask him… but maybe not. Sometimes, no matter how much I know I need to _act_, I just freeze up."

"I know you do, sweetheart," Applejack said, nodding. "But sometimes you just gotta reach out and take whatcha want, know what I mean?"

"Yes," Fluttershy agreed. "Thank you, Applejack. Well, nothing to do for it, I guess, except try to get myself ready. If you need me, I'll, um, be in the hall, pacing back and forth and trying to psych myself up for it."

"Okey-doke then, I look forward to seein' you walk into the dance with my brother," Applejack said with a wink.

"Okay, well… like I said, I'll be out there," she said, walking away. She paused, then returned to Applejack. "When you say he's _more_ oblivious than me… is there something in particular I'm oblivious to? If you don't mind me asking?"

"Um… no, nothin'," Applejack said, making a distinct tight-lipped and shifty-eyed expression.

"Applejack!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"Sorry," Applejack said hastily. "But… maybe when the entire Winter Harmony dance starts orbiting around you you'll see what I meant."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Um, hey Princess—I mean, Principal?"

Celestia, halfway into her office, turned around to see Sunset Shimmer standing behind her, looking jittery and pitiful.

"Something I can do for you, Sunset?" she said kindly.

"Yeah," Sunset said gratefully. "Or, actually, maybe there's a way I can help _you_… have you seen your sister recently?"

Celestia gripped the doorframe nervously. "Of… course I have," she said. "She hasn't gone anywhere."

"But, maybe, she's been acting a bit odd?" Sunset prompted.

"…Yes," Celestia said slowly. "What exactly do you know about this?"

"Oh, not much," Sunset said. "But I have my suspicions… I've seen her on the roof of the school in the middle of the night, just staring at the moon, every night for days."

Celestia drummed her fingers. "And what does _your_ schedule look like that you see people on the roof in the middle of the night?"

"Touché," Sunset said, amused. "Come on, we both know I'm not your typical student. In fact, you've _always_ known, haven't you? You've known ever since I enrolled that I was up to something behind the scenes, admit it."

The principal nodded. "I did… I was told to keep a very close eye on you, and I have. That I did so at the expense of all the other students will probably remain one of my biggest regrets."

Sunset blinked. "Um… _who_ told you to do that?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," Celestia said. "But that's not what's important right now. My sister won't speak to me, stays holed up in her office during the day and in her bedroom when the school day is over. And you think you know something about this?"

"Just a hunch, nothing concrete," Sunset said. "Something from a bedtime story that I heard all the time as a… as a filly."

"A… bedtime story?" Celestia said with a raised eyebrow. "…I'm listening."

"Really?" Sunset said blankly. "I thought I'd lose you there."

"You came here to tell me something important. I intend to let you finish."

"Okay," Sunset said, clapping her hands. "Well, let's see… if Luna is jealous of your station, resentful of your position relative to hers… it's a possibility, right? She is your vice principal, after all. Plus you won that Principal of the Year award last week. I'm just saying… maybe history is repeating itself."

"Yes… this has happened to Luna and I before, hasn't it?" Celestia said.

"How did you…? Never mind. Yes, it has, but don't be too worried," Sunset said quickly. "Things got better, eventually. I'm sure she'll come back around much more quickly here than she did over there. And besides, there's no magic in this place. She can hardly change into an evil creature of darkness and stop the sun from rising."

"No, I suppose she can't. But you're still concerned?"

"If there's one thing I've learned," Sunset muttered, looking at the floor and wringing her hands, "it's that someone who's just plain mean can cause as much long-term damage as someone with world-destroying magical powers. If there's any way I can prevent something terrible from happening…"

Celestia placed a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "I'll let you know. Thank you for your concern. You've… grown substantially in the past couple of months. I'm proud of you."

A tear came to Sunset's eye. "You don't know how much that means, hearing that from… well, _you_."

"I have a pretty good idea of what it means. I just might know more than you give me credit for."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"_I have a pretty good idea of what it means. I just might know more than you give me credit for._"

Snips took his phone back as Trixie finished watching the footage. "That was their whole conversation," he said. "What do you think? Anything incriminating?"

Trixie scratched her chin. "Hmm… no. A few veiled remarks about evil magic—nothing believable. If conclusive proof of Sunset Shimmer's origins had ever been dug up, maybe then, but without it this isn't enough." She clapped her hands sharply. "Keep at it, boys! We have to be on the principal's ass every minute of the day if we're going to catch her saying something that'll ruin her forever."

"You got it, Suns—I mean, Great and Powerful Trixie," Snips said, saluting hastily.

Trixie scowled. "Don't let _that_ happen again. Snails!" she snarled, pounding a fist against the cafeteria table.

Snails, sleeping and drooling onto the table, sat up abruptly. "Yah? Whuzzgoinon?"

"You're on duty," Trixie said sharply. "It's your turn to spy on Celestia. As for you, Snips, it's _your_ turn… to do Trixie's nails." She flipped open a magazine and held out one hand to Snips.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Six friends congregated in the bathroom in the last minutes before lunch ended.

"So, you and Big Mac, huh?" Rainbow said to Fluttershy. "What's that steamy romance gonna look like? Just the two of you sitting around, not talking? That sounds…"

"Freakin' adorable, that's what it sounds like," Applejack interrupted.

"Sure, let's go with that," Rainbow said, starting to wash her hands. "You want one of us to ask him for you?"

"No, I'll do it myself," Fluttershy insisted. "It'll be fine." She rushed into a stall and shut the door.

Sunset Shimmer tapped on the stall door. "You okay in there? I don't like seeing you angsting about stuff like this…"

"I'm not 'angsting', I just need time to mentally fortify myself," Fluttershy said. "I don't 'angst'. 'Angst' isn't even a verb… at least, I don't think it is."

"I'm just saying, if you ever looked up from your shoes, you wouldn't be so nervous about asking a guy out," Sunset said. "Because then you'd see the truth: guys are checking you out _constantly_. You have pick of the litter. You've got nothing to be nervous—"

"Sunset?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Please don't talk to me when I'm in a stall."

"Sorry," Sunset muttered, backing away.

Another stall door opened, and Zecora burst out, looking somewhat deranged and excited. "It's you!" she said gleefully. "The heroes of the school—at last! Please, you must listen to me fast."

"Well, hi!" Pinkie Pie said with a bright smile. "I don't think I've seen you around here before…"

"No, I don't think so either," Rarity said suspiciously. "Who might you be?"

Zecora scowled. "Am I so unfamiliar to you? Zecora, the exchange student nobody talks to?"

Rainbow laughed. "Dude… nobody talks to you because you hang out in dark corners, with your nose in a book and hidden under your big gray hoodie, and glare at everyone who walks by."

Zecora blinked and stammered, unable to respond.

"Gotcha there, didn't I?" Rainbow said smugly. "Try looking at yourself before you accuse the whole school of ignoring you."

Zecora hung her head, but Pinkie swooped down on her and wrapped an arm around her, pushing her into the midst of the group. "But that doesn't matter! You had the courage to come out and talk to us, and now you have a whole bunch of new friends! Doesn't that feel great?"

"Uh, let's reserve judgment on that," Sunset said cautiously. "She had a bit of a wild and crazy look in her eyes when she popped out of there…"

"That's rich comin' from you, Miss Wicked-Demon-Eyes," Applejack muttered.

"But I believe you wanted our help," Rarity said. "Zecora, was it?"

"Yes," Zecora said. "It seems that I have done something. How, I have no inkling. To cut short my new friendships would be rather tragic, but I must ask you all to believe… in magic." She grimaced nervously, tensed for their reaction.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Why wouldn't we believe… oh. Oh, _right_. You didn't enroll here until _after_ the Fall Formal thing… and you never talk to anybody. Of course… dude, everyone at this school believes in magic."

"…Really?" Zecora said hopefully.

"You ever notice that big hole blasted in the front of the building?" Rainbow said. "Or the huge pit right in front of that?"

Zecora nodded.

"_Magic_," Rainbow said simply.

Rarity stepped forward. "At the Fall Formal dance, Sun—erm, someone—used magic from another world to turn all the students into an army of zombies. But we managed to help our friend Princess Twilight Sparkle use her own magic to save us all. You _have_ heard of Princess Twilight, haven't you? She's plastered all over the school."

Zecora nodded. "I see, I should have expected no less. Such a heroic deed from this so-called princess. And I hoped I could approach you, her friends… I've created bad magic, and must make amends."

Rainbow blinked. "Wait a second, have you been speaking in rhyme?"

"You're _just_ noticing that?" Rarity said, raising an eyebrow.

Fluttershy stepped out of the bathroom stall. "What is it you've done, Zecora?" she said quietly. "How can we help?"

"I wish I knew what I have done," Zecora said. "It seemed a small project, a bit of fun. But when I finished, something began… agh, but I don't even know her plan."

Sunset straightened up suddenly. "_Her_ plan? Bad magic? Zecora… does this have something to do with Vice Principal Luna?"

Zecora looked surprised, then nodded. "A week or so ago, she came to me, about my great grades in Chemistry."

Sunset scrambled up to Zecora, her eyes wide and nodding her head rapidly. "Tell us everything. _Everything_."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Vice Principal in the Moon**

Hey, you. You, out there reading this. Yeah, you. Drop and give me four. Four reviews, that is.

On a serious note, you've probably noticed that there's not much happening on the Equestria side of things. I wondered why that was, and I figure it's because I already _have_ a story set in Equestria… the human world has a bit more new material for me to mine. But I've got something now. Check this out.

**Chapter Four**

~0~0~0~

Princess Celestia paced back and forth in throne room of Canterlot Castle. The six defunct Elements lay on the ground in front of their respective bearers. Twilight's head was bowed down, her wings folded and quivering nervously.

"What do you think, Princess?" she said fearfully.

"I can't even begin to imagine," Celestia murmured, picking up Twilight's crown with her magic and examining it. "So little is known about the Elements. We know it's your friendship that brought them together… but what can tear them apart? That's not as clear." She stepped back from the group and toward her throne.

"Fortunately," she said, "I have somepony here who I recruited specifically to consult about unusual magical effects like this. A recent addition to the castle staff, I think you're familiar with him. Oh Discord, honey?"

A bolt of black lightning shot from the ceiling, scorching the carpet. Blue-black smoke billowed from that spot, crackling with yet more electricity, and in a burst of fire, the serpentine form of Discord stood in the throne room, a sinister smirk on his face and his mismatched hands held over his head and clawed dramatically.

"Yesssss, my princess?" he growled. He relaxed his posture and turned to Celestia. "I did that wrong. Can I come in again?"

Celestia nodded. "By all means."

"Good." Discord dashed away, passing right through the wall.

"Oh Discord!" Celestia called again.

A beam of light cast itself from the ceiling to the floor. Discord dropped down to the ground slowly, his eyes closed and hands clasped serenely, a halo over his head.

"Yes, my princess?" he said in a high falsetto.

He turned off the spotlight and tossed the halo aside. "There, how was that?" he asked.

"Hmm, I'd say you're trying too hard, sweetheart," Celestia said dryly.

"You don't have to be afraid to be yourself," Fluttershy offered.

Discord turned his gaze to Fluttershy and smiled tenderly. "Well… while I'll keep that in mind, I don't think anypony wants me to come in a third time. What can I do for you?"

Celestia floated the Element in front of Discord's face. "The Elements of Harmony failed to activate against the changeling queen. Here's a chance to prove the applications of your magic can be… noble."

Discord raised an eyebrow and smirked. "And if it can't? Not much you can do about it."

"True," Celestia said. "Try to prove yourself, then, for all our sakes. Take this crown and tell me what you see."

Discord eyed the Element apprehensively.

"Just take it," Celestia insisted. "It won't hurt you just to touch it."

"Very well…" he said, taking it from her, holding it in only two fingers of his eagle talon and as far from his body as possible. "So, this is your _actual_ crown?" he asked Twilight. "A revamped Element of Harmony? That's a bit ostentatious, don't you think? Well, let me take a look."

He gripped the crown in both hands and held it close to his heart, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.

"Hrmmm, yes, there's a serious malfunction here," he muttered. "A sickness has set into these Elements."

"Sickness?" Twilight whispered in horror.

Discord opened his eyes. "Harmony has been thrown out the window… or out the mirror, perhaps?" He tossed the crown at Twilight, who caught it with magic before it hit her, then set it on her head. Discord grinned at her knowingly. "Been messing with other worlds, Twilight Sparkle?"

"This has a connection with the other world?" Twilight said in alarm. "You're saying the Elements aren't working because the other world is out of balance?"

"Something like that," Discord said. "Tell me… has anything from one world been left in the other?"

Twilight paled. "Yes."

Discord swooped down on her, his bulging eyes inches away from hers. "WHAT?" he squawked. He jumped back from her, reclining in midair. "Twilight, don't you know that that can cause a chain reaction, make everything unravel?"

"How could she have possibly known that?" Celestia demanded.

"I don't know, could've put _me_ to some use before just sending her waltzing through the portal, but you didn't think of that, did you?" Discord said sweetly. "Let's just get into damage control mode, shall we? Give me an inventory, Twilight. What items are sitting where they don't belong?"

"Well, there's this," Twilight said, producing the fake crown that Sunset Shimmer had left behind.

Discord held it up and tugged at his beard. "What the hell is this?"

"The fake crown that Sunset Shimmer tried to swap for mine," Twilight said.

"It's plastic," Discord scoffed, bending it.

"It was meant for the Fall Formal," Twilight said, almost defensively. "A crown for the princess of a school dance."

"Well, no, this… this wouldn't be it," Discord muttered. "This is insignificant on so many levels." He placed the crown on his own head and looked back at Twilight. "Anything else?"

"Um, could I maybe get that back?"

"In a minute, tell me what else has been left behind," Discord said, adjusting the crown pointedly.

"Um… my backpack?" Twilight said uncertainly.

"Sorry?"

"My saddlebags, they turned into a backpack when I crossed over," Twilight said. "I left it behind."

"Anything in it?" Discord asked.

"From here? No."

Discord sank to the ground, looking deflated and frustrated. "Well, I _know_ it's something that's crossed over. Can't you think of anything?"

"Well, there's Sunset Shimmer," Twilight said.

Discord pumped his fist. "AHA! That's it! I mean… it's not her. But that's how we think outside the box."

"You think it's a pony?" Twilight said sharply. "Or… or a person?"

"Possible, _very_ possible," Discord said eagerly, flying back and forth across the throne room. "It's no fake crown or saddlebags… and it's not Sunset Shimmer, who only bore a warped perversion of the Element's power… but something or someone with very close ties to the Elements has crossed from here to there, and _that_ is what is halving their power."

Celestia tilted her head. "How did you reach that conclusion?"

"I… I just needed to know where to look," Discord said, popping into Celestia's throne and slouching lazily, his legs on one of the armrests. "So, what do you think? What could have crossed to the other world in the past, oh, two weeks?"

"Nothing," Celestia said instantly. "When the portal was open, I spent that full three days watching it without a wink of sleep. Nothing could have passed through the mirror, certainly nothing so important."

Discord clasped his hands together. "Well… what other ways are there to traverse these two realms, besides the mirror?"

"None, as far as I know," Celestia said.

"And how far _do_ you know?" Discord challenged.

Celestia glared disdainfully. "Pretty far, old friend."

"But not all the way to the end," Discord said smugly.

"Of course not," Celestia said.

"Well, there you have it," Discord said, reclining further in the throne. "I wonder what could possibly be missing?"

"You mean you don't know?" Rainbow demanded. "You knew everything about us before we even met. Why can't you tell us _exactly_ what's happening?"

Discord snapped his fingers, creating a sphere of sparkling rainbow colors which he tossed from one hand to the other, the sphere lazily drifting through the air. "My powers work best in the pursuit of chaos," he said softly. "Chaos was my end, you see, not my means. Now? Using my magic for good? It's not my nature. It's faulty. Knowledge was once such an easy thing to come by, but now…"

He shrugged. "I'm seeing very little, picking up only small tidbits… unless you'd rather I was the way I was before? I could certainly make that decision, find out everything, then tell you exactly what's going on while I reach into your brain and reveal that deep down inside, you're a traitorous rat whose only loyalty is to her own personal gain… and no Elements to stop me. Does that sound agreeable to you, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow flinched away. "Uh… no… no, don't do that."

"Good, 'cause I don't want to," Discord said, hanging his head off the throne's edge. "It's lonely at the top, you know. Nopony to tell me when I'm being a big, dumb meanie. It's detrimental to my health. Right, Celestia?"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," Celestia said calmly. "Get out of my chair."

Discord stood up and walked down the stairs slowly, hands behind his back. "Here's what I do know. Whatever the object or individual is that's there when it belongs here… if it were to be brought back, that will restore all balance. Alternatively, and perhaps easier, you six could track down your counterparts in the other world and bring them over here. The Elements will work again. But the cost? Your alternate selves would have to live out their lives here, and the imbalance—something with a powerful connection to the Elements—would still be over there, where it doesn't belong. But the problem would be with their world, not ours." He spread his hands. "That's just what I would do. Surely goings-on in the other world don't affect us? But I get the feeling the first solution is more your speed."

"Pretty much," Twilight said.

"All right," Discord said, bending backward with his hands behind his head. "I'll leave you to sort through what you know. So, Princess, how would you rate my first day on the job?"

"Service was poor, performance was downright dreadful," Celestia deadpanned, but barely suppressing a smirk.

"Baby steps, Discord," Fluttershy said gently. "Itty-bitty steps."

Discord beamed. "Yes, I remember," he said. "You know, you never write to me, Fluttershy. You should come by here more often."

~0~0~0~

The six ponies walked through the streets of Canterlot.

"I still don't like the look o' that fella," Applejack grumbled. "I don't care if he is on our side, I ain't takin' my eyes off him."

"I'm with AJ on this one," Rainbow Dash said grimly. "He's still a giant jerk. You _can_ keep a lid on him, right Fluttershy? 'Cause if he breaks out at this point, there's no stopping him."

"I… I think so," Fluttershy said nervously. "I'll be honest, I don't think he's fully reformed. He might not ever be. But if we maintain his friendship, if I remain open with him, if it's more than just an illusion…"

"And I have absolute faith that you can keep him happy," Twilight said sincerely. "But let's get back to our real conundrum here: what do we know about the Elements not working?"

"Something or somepony crossed into the other world," Rarity said, taking the cue. "Something with an alleged 'connection' to the Elements. But what does that mean? Someone who's been defeated by them? Someone who wielded them in the past?"

"We also know that, unless we find an alternate means to bridge the gap, it's almost ninety days before we can do anything about it," Twilight added. "What if we need the Elements before then? What if something terrible happens to my other friends while this 'imbalance' is there?"

"Well then, that's… that's…" Pinkie Pie began, before going silent.

All the others turned to her. "That's what, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.

"That's unacceptable," Pinkie said solemnly. "We've gotta find another way."

Twilight put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "You're right," she said. "Our next move has to be finding a way to unlock the barrier. It's the only way to make everything safe again."

She looked to the sky. "Our train back to Ponyville is going soon, isn't it?"

The others gave a general, uncertain murmur of "Yes."

"Well, we'll skip that," Twilight said dangerously. "We're taking the next train to the Crystal Empire. I'm gonna take a good look at that mirror. In fact… Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, come with me."

"Where are we going?" Fluttershy said nervously.

"We're flying back to the castle," Twilight said, taking to the air triumphantly, and hovering in place without the slightest tremor. "We're scouring the archives for the slightest _scrap_ of information about the mirror and the gateway. Then we're figuring this thing out! No disaster is going to get the jump on us. Right?"

"Right!" Rainbow said gleefully, joining her in the air.

"Um… yes… I think so," Fluttershy whispered, flying up as well.

"You three, feel free to catch up with us," Twilight said, nodding to Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie on the ground. "We just can't waste a second of research time."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Nightmare Moon stood on the roof of the school, staring at the moon.

"My return has not been as triumphant as you promised, friend," she said. "There's no magic in this world. How am I to usurp my Celestia when there are no means to displace _this_ Celestia? How will I bring these creatures eternal night when the moon and sun control themselves?"

A gust of wind blew into her face, and she braced herself against the chill.

"Within my means?" she demanded. "What means are these? This world is horrendously, _painfully_, mundane."

A car drove by the school, speeding and swerving, almost going off road. Nightmare Moon took notice of it, and the next gust of wind that blew toward her seemed to carry a faint chuckle with it.

"Yes indeed…" Nightmare Moon said, grinning wickedly. "Their humdrum lives do contain the potential for much destruction. I wonder…"

"Luna?"

Nightmare Moon gasped and quickly transformed her features into Luna's. She turned around to see Celestia walking out the door that led to the roof.

"Celestia," she said coldly. "What brings you up here?"

"I don't really know," Celestia said nervously. "I've missed you, little sister. Why have you been keeping to yourself for all this time? And why do you come up here every night?"

Nightmare Moon scowled. "How… how did you…?"

"Sunset Shimmer," Celestia said simply. "She's concerned about you."

"Is she?" Nightmare Moon said bitterly. "I might have known. Do you still trust that one? After all she's put our school through?"

"Zecora spoke to me as well, Luna."

Nightmare Moon froze, so shocked and frightened that her disguise almost gave way. "Is that right? I didn't think she'd have the courage. What exactly did she tell you?"

"Everything," Celestia said simply, walking up to her sister and taking her hand. "Look… Nightmare Moon. I know this has happened to us before. I want to learn from the mistakes of my other self. I don't want to lose my sister over some stupid Principal of the Year award. Please…" She tugged Nightmare Moon into a crushing hug. "I'll do whatever it takes to fix our friendship, little sister," she said, choking up.

Nightmare Moon stammered, then scowled, her fangs bared and her catlike eyes glinting. "I assure you, my jealousy has little to do with… any changes there may have been in my… my…"

Celestia pulled back to look into her sister's face, and Nightmare Moon quickly restored her disguise. Celestia smiled and waited for her to continue.

"I am sorry," she muttered, sounding a bit more like Luna. "I'll take your words to heart, sister. I won't let myself be guided by jealousy."

"You're sure?" Celestia pressed. "I wouldn't want to leave anything unsaid that needed to be—"

Luna caressed Celestia's face. "It's fine. I have troubles that are mine alone to take care of."

"I don't like the sound of that, Luna."

"I'm fine, big sister. All I wish is some time to spend here, just me and the wind and the moon…" She took Celestia's hand in both of hers. "I'm sorry I've been a bit absent. You'll be seeing more of me in days to come."

Celestia smiled. "Good. Look… I'm always here for you. That doesn't end just because we're adults now. I don't need to tell you that, do I?"

"Yes… yes, I know," Luna said. "May I have the roof to myself now?"

"Of course. Whatever you need to… to get through this."

Celestia departed, and a gust of wind blew past them once again.

"Just telling her what she wants to hear," Luna said softly, changing back into Nightmare Moon. "I hope you have more ideas than I as to how to get her off my back. 'Twas much easier being Nightmare Moon when I was a princess with cosmic magical power, not a vice principal. Even with this world's focus on technology over magic, how do I gain access to their weaponry for my takeover? Teachers don't make squat, you know."

The wind blew harder and colder this time, and Nightmare Moon actually covered her ears to protect them from the wind's bite.

"Understood," she said. "And then…"

The wind replied, a continuous gust that went on throughout her speech.

"Yes!" Nightmare Moon said, grinning triumphantly. "Then, I can take control over what magic this world _does_ possess. No need to overly familiarize myself with their absurd gadgets at all. A cunning plan, my dear, dear friend. Oh, I certainly won't forget about you. I get Equestria, where I belong, and you get here, where _you_ belong."

She clasped her hands together and bowed. "My thanks. When you return, believe you me, having Nightmare Moon in your debt will be the best thing that ever happened to you."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Vice Principal in the Moon**

Hi! Well, a thanks to the people who posted reviews… and may I say, though I'm glad you all appreciate the scene of Nightmare Moon talking to the wind, it seriously and grievously hurt my feelings that that's _all anyone talked about_. My self-esteem has been shot to hell. When reviewers only ever talk about the last paragraph of the last chapter, doesn't that seem offensive? Did it occur to anyone that I'd want feedback on my huge friggin' Discord scene? And, for that matter, the beginning of the story?

With that out of my system… before perusing this chapter, you may want to check YouTube for the game "Hoedown!" from _Whose Line Is It Anyway?_, just so you know what a Hoedown sounds like. Trust me. If you don't know, you're going to want to.

**Chapter Five**

-0-0-0-0-0-

The Winter Harmony was in full swing, a few couples in fancy dress twirling around the expansive but mostly-empty dance floor. Applejack, dressed for the weather rather than the occasion, came across Big Macintosh, tapping his toes as he leaned against the wall farthest from the stage.

"Hey, bro," she said, surprised. "You here alone?"

"Eeyup."

"Nobody asked you?"

"Nope," he said, scrunching up his face in confusion.

Applejack frowned. "Hmm…" She looked around, wandering out of her brother's earshot. "Where _is_ the belle of this ball? Fluttershy?"

"Right here," came her soft voice.

Applejack spun frantically, spotting Fluttershy's blue-green eyes peeking out from within a white pine.

"Oh hey," Applejack said, a smile breaking out. "Whatcha doin' inside a tree?"

"I like trees," Fluttershy said weakly.

"You didn't ask my brother out," Applejack said flatly.

"I tried," Fluttershy squeaked. "I really, really tried, Applejack. I walked up to him, looked him in the eye, and he looked back at me and I just choked. We stared at each other for a few minutes, and I just walked away."

Applejack sighed. "All right, well, at least nobody else scooped him up." Unable to actually locate Fluttershy's shoulders, she tapped the tree comfortingly. "Hang in there. We'll work on pushin' you two together over break."

"…Thank you for supporting me in this, Applejack," Fluttershy said. "I thought you'd be more protective of him."

"He can protect himself, I wanna protect _you_," Applejack said. "You're so sensitive, I just wanna… I'd pinch your cheek, but I can't find it. Love ya."

"Love you too, Applejack," Fluttershy whispered.

Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer pulled Flash Sentry along behind a wall of trees, creeping between the branches and the gymnasium wall. Sunset's determined and eager glare was quickly replaced by shock as they ran into Vice Principal Luna.

"Miss Luna," Flash said in surprise.

"Sunset… Flash…" Luna said darkly. "What brings you back here?"

"Just looking for someplace to make out," Sunset replied casually, wrapping an arm around Flash's waist while keeping a firm eye trained on the vice principal. "You?"

"Wondering how to make my entrance," Luna said. "I want to make sure my sister sees me here… don't want to be accused of being a shut-in, now do I?"

Sunset glared. "Haven't seen you on the roof lately."

"Indeed."

"But you've still been hiding away," Sunset accused. "What are you up to, Nightmare Moon?"

"She's spent a lot of time in the science lab after school hours," Flash offered.

"Is that right?" Sunset said smugly, looking up at Luna.

Luna stroked Sunset's chin. "You don't belong here, little Sunset Shimmer."

"Neither do you. You were defeated. You're a ghost."

"Perhaps, but I've been blessed enough to find a _new_ Luna to inhabit," Nightmare Moon said brightly. "Regardless, this is faculty business. Keep your teeny-tiny human nose out of it, won't you?"

"My nose is adorable," Sunset retorted. "And I'm _never_ taking my eyes off of you."

Nightmare Moon shot her two thumbs up. "Good luck with that."

"This world has no magic. You've got nothing."

"No magic? Then I wonder how _I_ got here?"

On that note, Nightmare Moon went out into the open. She caught Celestia's eye from across the dance floor. Celestia smiled at her sister and waved. Nightmare Moon nodded and exited the gym.

"She's got nothing," Sunset scoffed. "Nothing at all. Let's just see how much longer I tolerate an ancient enemy of Equestria inside the walls of _my_ school. Then we'll see who's so smug." She pressed Flash against the wall. "So, where were we?"

They kissed passionately for a few seconds, before Sunset pulled away in exasperation. "AAAGH!" she groaned.

"What?" Flash demanded.

"I should probably tell Celestia about that science lab thing," she muttered. "It might be important. Maybe Nightmare Moon _does_ have something…"

"Then tell her," Flash said simply.

"I kind of wanted to do _this_," Sunset said, hands on his chest.

He kissed her forehead. "We will. Take one minute to do the important thing. I'm behind you all the way."

Sunset nodded and the two of them approached the principal.

The band finished their song and proceeded backstage, and the dancing couples wandered off to the sidelines. After a few moments of near-silence, the few electric lights that were on flickered, and there was a very noticeable sound of humming and crackling electricity, followed by a loud and deep rumble. The students looked around, confused.

"…I would say that came from the vicinity of the science lab," Celestia said dryly, trying to mask her fear.

She strode across the gym to the door. Rainbow popped up next to her, skipping jovially at her side. "Yeah, we'll check this out!" she said eagerly. "I'll be your backup, Miss Celestia."

"Me too," Rarity said, coming up on the principal's other side, struggling to walk through her heavy ball gown and high heels. "You can't face this alone."

The other girls soon joined the group, marching in formation behind Celestia. At the gymnasium doors, she spun to face them all. "Okay, okay, you can't _all_ come with me," she said. "This should be a small operation. We'll make it first come, first serve: Rainbow and Rarity, you're with me. The rest of you, cover for me. Everybody's noticed something's amiss: get this dance going again."

"How?" Pinkie demanded. "The band's on break…"

"Ooh! I know!" Rarity said. She grabbed a microphone off the stage and shoved it into Applejack's hands. "Applejack, be a dear and sing a Hoedown."

"What?" Applejack said blankly.

"Pinkie, get to the piano and play a Hoedown!" Rarity commanded.

"Okey dokey lokey!" Pinkie said, popping up onto the stage and starting up a bouncy piano melody.

"What do I—?" Applejack tried to protest, but Rarity, Rainbow, and Celestia had already disappeared. "Pinkie, what am I supposed to do?"

"It's a Hoedown, like the improv club does," Pinkie called. "You ad-lib it!"

"Ad-lib?" Applejack demanded. "No, no, I… I can't. You do it!"

"I'm playing the piano!" Pinkie protested.

Applejack looked around, realizing that most of what she had said had been into the microphone and that all of the students in the room were staring at her. She took a moment to remember how the melody went, then waited for Pinkie's flourish to introduce her.

"_Hey there everybody  
__Let's have all eyes on me,_" she sang.  
"_Nothin' suspicious is goin' on  
__There's nothin' here to see._"

She bounded away from the door and into the center of the dance floor, and indeed all eyes remained on her. Her face started heating up and turning red as she wracked her brain for lyrics with the increasing pressure of everyone looking at her.

"_If y'all want excitement  
__Well here's the mother lode,_" she continued.  
"_If y'all keep on starin' at me  
__You'll see my face explode!_"

She thrust the microphone at Sunset Shimmer, her eyes on her shoes. "Take over," she hissed.

"Um, okay," Sunset said, looking around at the crowd, who were now clapping along and dancing in a lively manner. They looked at her now with their customary mistrust, but also, she thought, anticipation.

"_Making up a Hoedown  
__A topic I must find,_" she sang leisurely, scanning the room for just such a topic. Her eyes landed on Flash, and the rest of the verse came to her.  
"_Something about my boyfriend  
__That's been weighing on my mind_…"

She held up a hand next to her face, blocking her view of Flash.

"_Though I love to kiss him  
__All over his stupid face  
__It drives me freaking crazy  
__That he won't go past first base._"

The crowd tittered and whistled at her. She took a moment to process what she had just said, and sat down at the foot of the stage, her face buried in her hands, not wanting to see Flash's reaction.

Sunset flung the microphone at Fluttershy, who caught it and stared at it in horror, then looked at the crowd. She was motionless as the piano melody plunked on for several agonizing seconds. She let out a pitiful squeak and started walking toward the stage curtain, intending to hide behind it.

Then she spotted Big Macintosh, at the back of the crowd and far away from any of them. The mild toe-tapping he'd been doing before had stopped, and he was now motionless and staring off to the side. In the middle of an empty stretch of floor, Fluttershy thought he looked rather lonely.

Struck by sudden inspiration, she leaped onto the stage. She considered for a moment, then climbed up onto the piano as well.

"_Just so long as I am here  
__And I am on the spot  
__There's something that I have to try  
__I mean what the heck, why not?_"

She pointed at Big Mac and stared at him intently, making sure there could be no doubt whom she was addressing.

"_You there! Big freckled guy  
__Who towers up above me,_" she sang in a powerful, commanding voice.  
_"I am gonna hunt you down  
__And YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME!_"

She calmly lowered the microphone to her side, got off the stage and joined the curled-up and humiliated Sunset Shimmer, getting in the same position next to her and squeaking pitifully. Sunset held out a hand for a high-five; Fluttershy instead grasped it tightly like a lifeline.

Rainbow Dash appeared, bending over Fluttershy and holding out a hand expectantly.

"What happened?" Fluttershy demanded.

"Something big," Rainbow said darkly. "Heard your verses. You guys are messed up. Give me the damn mic."

Fluttershy gave it up. Rainbow launched into the song instantly.

"_All this mushy boyfriend stuff  
__Is getting really corny,_" she sang, prancing along the floor and motioning for other students to follow her.  
"_Fluttershy's a stalker now  
__And Sunset's super-horny._"

Sunset wrapped an arm around Fluttershy and glared at Rainbow harshly.

"_Here's something more important  
__For all of us to do,_" Rainbow continued, eyeing the gym doors apprehensively.  
"_There's gonna be an explosion  
__In four, three, two—_"

An explosion of white smoke shattered the entrance to the gym. No students were harmed, only because Rainbow's commanding presence had led them away from the doors.

Nightmare Moon emerged from the smoke. She had abandoned her disguise; her black skin and unnatural eyes were on full display, and she was now mostly encased in the periwinkle helmet and armor that had defined Nightmare Moon the pony. She also wore a huge leather belt covered in pouches and pockets, and carried in her hand an enormous spear with a two-pronged head; between the two points, a bolt of purple electricity crackled constantly.

"Greetings, students," she said. "I am Nightmare Moon, princess of the night!"

She took an impossibly huge leap toward the stage, performing a backflip and landing upon the stage, facing the students.

"I bring glad tidings, students of Canterlot High School," she said grandly. "Soon, all of your problems… your petty romances, your grades, your popularity… it'll all go away. Because your world will have a much, much bigger problem to worry about."

Celestia, covered in dust and carrying an injured Rarity under one arm, stumbled into the gym. "Luna!" she bellowed. "Stop this!"

Nightmare Moon aimed her spear at Celestia. "It's depressing that I have to tell you what I told the _real_ Celestia a thousand years ago," she sneered. "I'm not Luna… but I'm doing what she's always wanted to do."

"That's a lie," Celestia snarled.

"Whoa, déjà vu," Nightmare Moon said dryly. She hopped off the stage and dramatically made her way through the crowd, arms spread wide. "You see, students, I have been living in the guise of your Vice Principal Luna for some weeks now. Learning from her memories, as I did from the true Luna, the pony princess. This world is false and pathetic, a warped mirror of the magical kingdom in which I once lived, but if I conquer it for a friend, I get the resources to take Equestria."

She examined her spear. "I wasn't sure this spongy human body would get me anywhere. No natural weapons, no wings or hooves, no horn or magical power. I found my answers in the technology lab… managed to construct myself these lovely weapons."

She produced two tiny glass vials and tossed them in two different directions, creating two more great clouds of white smoke. The students caught within the clouds doubled over and started coughing and heaving.

"Ah, Zecora!" Nightmare Moon said delightedly, wrapping an arm around the dashiki-clad student. "The little chemist responsible for all of this. It was you who made the concoction that allowed my spirit to take hold of this version of Luna. You could help me further, you know. Care to join me? Nightmare Moon has never had a sidekick before…"

"Never," Zecora hissed.

"Ah," Nightmare Moon said. "Very well, then. I almost _hoped_ you'd refuse, because now I get to do _THIS_…"

She jammed her spear into Zecora's stomach. Zecora's body twitched and writhed, crackling with purple electricity before she collapsed.

Nightmare Moon laughed wickedly, hurling a bright red, beeping bomb at a high window, blasting a hole in the wall and ceiling. She took several impossibly large leaps and strides toward the hole, then through it.

The friends gathered around Zecora, helping her sit up.

"How ya doin', Z?" Applejack said fretfully. "Looks like she hurt you real bad…"

Zecora nodded, sad and silent.

Pinkie raised a wary hand. "Is it the wrong time to say that that was the best Hoedown ever? You girls didn't miss a single step! Let's do another one of those sometime."

"Agh, how about no?" Sunset said, wrinkling her nose. "I can't believe I said that. Where's Flash? Is he looking at me? What kind of face is he making? Never mind, I don't wanna know…"

Rainbow smacked the back of Sunset's head. "Focus! Nightmare Moon is getting away! We've gotta go after her!"

"Oh, I hardly think so," Sunset said haughtily. "She's heavily armed, apparently she's super-strong, and she has years of experience being a villain on the other side. The only heroic action you guys have ever done was a fluke."

"What's that now?" Rainbow asked, mockingly cleaning out her ear. "Defeating _you_ was a fluke?"

"Frankly, yes," Sunset said coldly. "If Twilight hadn't turned up and brought you back together when she did, I'd have annihilated this entire school. And that power I held was nothing compared to Nightmare Moon. I don't want to see any of you get annihilated!"

Rarity hobbled over to the group. "I've never seen speed or strength like that," she said in quavering voice. "Whatever she's looking for out there, she'll _get_ it. She'll be unstoppable."

Across the room, Principal Celestia was still staring at the hole in the gym wall.

"Smile, Principal Celestia!" a student said in a sing-song voice, snapping a picture of her with her phone.

"Now's not the time, Trixie," Celestia muttered.

"Oh, but it is," Trixie said, sidling up to Celestia and taking a picture of both of them together. "You worked really hard on this school's science program, didn't you? Had to fight the school board tooth and nail to get it, right?"

"Yes…" Celestia said suspiciously.

"Most advanced science labs in the district," Trixie went on. "As it turns out, advanced enough to turn your sister into a supervillain!" She cackled. "Oh, that's gonna trash your reputation for sure! All your overspending led up to _this_! This might be just the break that Mr. Discord was looking for."

"Discord?" Celestia demanded. "The school board chairman?"

"Natch," Trixie said smugly. "He paid me to dig up some dirt about you. I'd say I've earned my cash!"

"That bastard," Celestia growled. "He's the one behind this? He did this to Luna?"

Trixie blinked. "Um… I don't know about that, but whether this was his idea or not, I caught all the footage of Nightmare Moon on my phone. Once I send it to him, you are _sooooo_ fired."

Celestia snatched the phone out of Trixie's hands.

"Hey!" Trixie cried out.

"Until such a time as you _do_ get me fired," Celestia said pointedly, "I'm still your principal, and I reserve the right to confiscate your electronics if they're being used improperly."

"Give me that!" Trixie snarled, trying to grab it back.

Celestia held the phone over her head with a bored expression. "I also reserve the right to be taller than you. Now buzz off and let me think of how I'm going to fix this!"

-0-0-0-0-0-

Nightmare Moon bolted down the city streets at inhuman speed. Once she slowed to a walk, the wind blew in her face yet again. She closed her eyes against its chill.

"A valid question," she said. "This world has its own Twilight Sparkle. If this place has any magic, it's within _her_. I don't know where she is, but if there's one thing I enjoy… it's _hunting_."

~0~0~0~

Beneath the moonlit night sky of Canterlot, Princess Luna flew in a holding pattern around the castle.

She cried out in pain and clutched her stomach. Her eyes shut tight, she started drifting down to a castle balcony, her wings failing and, once she landed on a solid floor, her knees buckling.

The door leading to the balcony opened suddenly, and Princess Celestia stepped out, looking concerned. "Luna?"

"Sister," Luna replied weakly.

"I heard you screaming," Celestia whispered.

"I did not scream," Luna said, confused.

"It was in my dreams," Celestia said. "I heard you screaming on the inside. It woke me up."

Luna nodded. "You're right, my dear sister. Something has drained me. Something is drawing upon my strength." She gazed up at Celestia. "I think I understand."

~0~0~0~

Spike jerked awake, belching out a scroll. He caught it in his claw and rolled over in his bed.

"At this time of night?" he muttered. "It's gotta be three in the morning." He looked at the scroll, and saw that it was sealed with the symbol of the moon.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, opening the scroll and reading it. In a few minutes, he was rushing down the hallways of the Crystal Empire's palace to Twilight's room.

"Twilight! Twilight!" he cried as he crashed through her door.

Twilight sat upright. "What? What?"

Another head popped up next to Twilight from underneath the covers of her bed; an orange pegasus stallion with a blue mane half-flattened by the bed. "What's goin' on?"

"Oh, hey Flash," Spike said casually. "When did you get here?"

"Uh, Twilight invited me over around… one?" Flash Sentry said sleepily. He blinked at Spike. "Wait a minute, have we met?"

"Not really," Spike admitted. "But I think anypony could've seen _this_ comin' from a mile away. She's been into you for a while."

"All right, don't be a wise guy, Spike," Twilight yawned, climbing out of bed and stretching her wings. "What's going on?"

"I got this letter from Princess Luna," Spike said. "She's figured out what's gone into the other world."

"Luna?" Twilight whispered. "Oh my goodness… what is it?"

"Nightmare Moon."

Twilight gaped. "That… that doesn't make any sense! Nightmare Moon was destroyed. The Elements stripped her away until there was nothing left but Princess Luna. Nightmare Moon can't have made her way to the other world."

"Well, that's what the princess said," Spike said simply, passing the note to her.

Twilight took it in her magic. Her eyes darted over it, then she closed her eyes and shook her head. "It still doesn't make sense… but I'll have to trust her analysis."

"What's this about another world?" Flash asked.

Twilight winced. "Erm… that's kind of classified… uh, baby." She tripped awkwardly over the pet name. "Something's gotta be done…" She looked out the window. "But… nothing can be done when it's the middle of the night and I'm this sleepy and there's far too much research to be done…" She hung her head. "We'll start working on this one in the morning, Spike. Go back to your room."

Spike nodded. "Okay." He left the room and shut the door behind himself, leaving Twilight and Flash in complete darkness.

A few seconds later, they heard him say, "Hey you, with the light beams. Yeah, hi. Hey, guess which one of your colleagues Princess Twilight has in her bed right now?"

Flash broke out laughing. Twilight grumbled and got back into the bed, snuggling up as close to him as she could muster. He wrapped his legs and wings around her, pulling her in even closer.

"Little twerp," she said with a flicker of amusement. "I'd like to _think_ that the important thing he learned is that Nightmare Moon might be running loose in another world." She looked pleadingly into Flash's eyes. "I don't know what we're going to do about this. If there's anything that _can_ be done before it's too late."


	6. Chapter 6

**The Vice Principal in the Moon**

**Chapter Six**

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Good evening. I'm Time Turner."

"And I'm Fleur Dis Lee, and this is the six o'clock news."

"As has been the case for the past week," Time Turner said, "our top story is the continuing hunt for Nightmare Moon, a prolific criminal who is baffling law enforcement officers with her high-tech weaponry, astounding physical capabilities, and utterly inhuman appearance."

The news report displayed security-camera footage of Nightmare Moon bursting into a bank, beating down two security guards with a single swipe of her spear, and pointing the spearhead directly at the camera, shooting a lightning bolt at it that rendered the image static and cracked.

"This footage comes from yesterday, showing Nightmare Moon's daring daylight robbery of Canterlot National Bank," Fleur said seriously. "As her crimes become more and more extravagant, public outcry demands to know what measures are being taken to capture this dangerous public menace. Mayor Mare had this to say."

A clip played of the Mayor, standing at a podium surrounded by reporters. "It is my unfortunate duty," she stated, "to inform you that our city has indeed become host to what may be the world's first real supervillain, a badge of honor I'm sure none of us wanted. It is imperative at this point that all citizens follow this advice: if you see Nightmare Moon, seek a place to hide. Do not engage her. She is far too dangerous. Instead, call the police at once: detaining her should be left to trained professionals."

"A further update on the continuing search," Fleur went on. "Police are investigating leads that Nightmare Moon is in fact Luna, vice principal of Canterlot High School, who was reported missing by her sister and supervisor Celestia the morning of Nightmare Moon's first attack. Principal Celestia could not be reached for comment, but has previously gone on record that she maintains the belief that Luna is not Nightmare Moon, and is indeed missing."

"Police, however, are a bit skeptical of Celestia's claim," Time Turner added, "noting that even more mysterious structural damage has been inflicted upon the school building, just as it did around three months ago. Therefore, all leads connecting Celestia and Luna to Nightmare Moon are being investigated."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"I appreciate you coming to see me, girls," Celestia said softly, pacing the floor of her office. The six girls were gathered there, Sunset Shimmer standing far behind and off to the side of the group as usual.

"We wanted to see how you were taking this," Rarity said sympathetically. "Are you all right? Is there anything we can do?"

"Not really," Celestia said simply. "This is all out of our hands… in more ways than you know."

"What do you mean by that?" Fluttershy whispered.

Celestia sat down and sighed. "Look… you all know that I've spent years doing all I can to make this school the best it can be, a place of learning and interacting on a higher level."

They all beamed and nodded to her.

"It seems to be working… it netted me the Principal of the Year award… but Luna isn't the only one who may have resented me for such a thing," Celestia said. "I go over budget every year, you see. Discord, the chairman of the school board, he's far more interested in profit than quality education. He's been trying to get rid of me for years."

Rainbow Dash cracked her knuckles. "That's nuts. Who _is_ this Discord joker?"

Celestia glanced at Sunset Shimmer momentarily. "You may not have realized it, but the havoc that occurred at the Fall Formal caused me a bit of trouble. I was able to feign ignorance of what happened. Any attempts to grill students failed… most were unwilling to sell you girls out and also pretended they had no knowledge of the event. Those few who still wanted to see Sunset punished further were foolish enough to tell the absolute truth, which was written off as nonsense. So I got off the hook that time, but Discord's kept a closer eye on me ever since. I think…"

She sighed. "I think he may have personally engineered turning Luna into Nightmare Moon. Either way, word has spread that our town's resident 'villain' was the vice principal here, and that she's using technology she acquired at our science lab. There's still no proof of any of that, but I suspect I'm hanging onto my job by a thread."

"I'm so sorry, Miss Celestia," Rarity said, pouting. "If there's any way we can help, any way at all…"

"I don't think so," Celestia said sadly. "Nightmare Moon is beyond reason, and without magic behind us, beyond our ability to fight. And I may not be your principal much longer. It's just that simple… as it has been, and as it should be. I appreciate your concern. You're dismissed, girls."

The girls hung their heads and started toward the door, but Applejack stopped them and gazed back at the principal. "Miss Celestia… I get the feelin' you know more about this than you're tellin' us. I mean, you don't have to tell us what it is, but… it'd sure be a comfort to know that you know somethin'."

Celestia sighed again. "I don't know if I know anything _helpful_, but I do know quite a bit. There's a story there, one I've never told anyone, if you'll indulge me."

They stared at her attentively.

"Well, it started almost three years ago, the first time Sunset Shimmer stepped through the portal," Celestia said.

Sunset froze.

"I doubt many of you know this, but several months before your freshman year began, she came to my office, asking questions about Canterlot High's, ah, social structure. The very concept of a high school seemed foreign to her, and she kept making odd analogies and calling me 'Your Majesty'. Our conversation lasted only a few minutes, and then she left…"

Celestia chuckled. "I toyed with the idea that she might have been an alien of some sort, but she didn't cross my mind again until she returned months later, asking if she could enroll. I gave her the papers, went through the rest of my day as normal… and that evening, as I was leaving school, something extraordinary happened. I was just about to pass by the statue of the Wondercolt when… _she_ stepped out.

"She was strange and otherworldly, but also the most beautiful person I could have ever imagined. She must have been about nine feet tall, with skin whiter than anything you've ever seen, wearing an honest-to-goodness crown and a long, flowing dress that looked like it never ended and that it was woven out of gold, just as golden as her crown. And her hair… it flowed around her like there was no gravity. It was fairly obvious that I had just come face-to-face with a goddess, someone as powerful and as old as the sun. But at the same time, I somehow knew that I was looking at myself."

Sunset looked just as riveted by the description as she was terrified and stunned.

"Well, once I was done staring at her in slack-jawed disbelief, we started chatting," Principal Celestia went on. "We talked about our lives; she'd been ruling her magical kingdom for a thousand years, I'd been teaching high school for five. So… there was a bit of a power discrepancy there. She asked me if my sister was well, and when I said yes, a tear came to her eye… after a bit of prodding, she told me what had happened to _her_ sister, her Luna. That jealousy had turned her into an evil and twisted version of herself, that she was banished but due to return any day… and that the princess had no way of knowing if she'd ever get her sister back, or just this world-destroying villain.

"That story hit me hard with its possibilities. My sister's jealousy has gotten the better of her from time to time. Ever since then, I've wondered whether _she_ would turn into Nightmare Moon too. It was a real concern, because, well, because I'd been talking to a nine-foot-tall, all-powerful version of myself. That's the kind of event that gets one to start believing in _anything_."

"She must have been… beautiful…" Sunset muttered. "You know, I had a hunch… ever since you gave that speech to Twilight about what a princess is and is not. From the moment I heard that, I had the feeling maybe there was a closer connection between you and Princess Celestia than I had thought… what else did she tell you?"

"She mentioned your name," Celestia said. "She asked me to watch you closely."

Sunset flinched. "I suppose she told you I was dangerous?"

"Actually, she said you were very special to her, and that I should keep you safe," Celestia said softly.

Sunset looked shocked.

"So, I've cut you a lot of slack," Celestia said. "The fake address on your enrollment forms, the forged parent signatures you've been giving me through the years… yes, I knew. I knew all along that you've been living at the school. And I've let you get away with a great deal of things over the years, because of what the Princess told me. It was only when I met her _true_ protégé and saw how good she was that I realized… she'd probably be disappointed in me. A bit of discipline would have done you some good, but what's past is past. As I've said before, I'm proud of you now, Sunset, and I think your princess would be too."

Sunset sniffled, unable to prevent the tears streaming down her face. "I… I can't believe she said that… she must have… I need to… I should have gone back."

Pinkie beamed at Sunset. "So… you've had _two_ Celestias watching over you all this time. And you thought neither of them liked you!"

Rarity clasped Sunset's shoulder comfortingly, her own eyes glistening a bit.

"The best thing we can do right now is try to keep things normal, girls," Celestia said sadly. "Why don't you just go to your last classes and then enjoy your winter break? Things will wind down."

The six of them filed out of the office. Sunset Shimmer shivered. "I don't know if they will," she whispered. "We'll have to wait until the portal opens if we're going to get help. Who knows what Nightmare Moon could pull off before then?"

Rarity draped an arm around Sunset. "There's nothing we can do about it… and fretting and fear will only make her stronger. Let's try to stay in our normal lives, like Miss Celestia said. First things first, Sunset: have you seen Flash since the Winter Harmony?"

"Of course I have," Sunset said evasively. "The guy's everywhere."

"I mean, have you _spoken_ to him?" Rarity retorted, smacking Sunset lightly. "Since your controversial little Hoedown verse?"

"No, I haven't," Sunset admitted. "I've been avoiding his eye all week. But I've heard some of the guys teasing him about my song. He texted me… he wants to meet me at the mall after school today… yeah…"

"Well, you gotta do it," Applejack said. "That's the only way this'll all blow over."

"If there's any way at all," Sunset mumbled. "All day my mind's been reeling with every possible scenario that might occur… the one where he molests me just to prove a point is by far the most optimistic."

"That's nuts," Applejack said. "Flash wouldn't do that. He'll talk it over with you."

"How do you know?" Sunset snapped.

"Because Flash is _nice_," Applejack enunciated. "Flash Sentry is a nice… guy."

"He's so nice, even _I _want to beat him up," Fluttershy said with a straight face.

The girls broke out in giggles.

"Ah, you guys are right," Sunset said jovially. "Flash is really into me… for some reason… and all I need to do is apologize and try to smooth things over." She looked darkly at Fluttershy. "And how about the big guy? Have you seen him?"

"No," Fluttershy squeaked. "I just can't believe I did that… it was so unlike me…"

"Ya took a chance, sweetheart," Applejack said. "You're gonna have to talk to him if you wanna see if it's paid off."

"Can you help me out?" Fluttershy peeped.

"Of course."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Flash scanned the mall food court, and spotted Sunset Shimmer leaning against a wall. Her eyes passed right over him as he strode purposefully toward her.

"Hey, gorgeous," he said sweetly, hitting the wall next to her with his shoulder.

She looked up at him in surprise, then revulsion.

"What?" he said, chuckling. "Don't look at me like that. Come on, it's just me." He caressed her face with his fingers, and she recoiled.

"Why are you—?" he began, before spotting something over her shoulder: another Sunset Shimmer, waving at him frantically and making rapid-fire "cut" gestures across her throat.

Flash looked down at the Sunset Shimmer he was looming over, and realized she was a complete stranger, the Sunset from this world. She turned her head, but the Sunset in the distance had run for cover.

"Um… you know," he said, blushing, "I just had a moment of self-realization. It just hit me now, how much of a sick pervert I am. I feel the need to repent. Please forgive me. I must go and face myself!"

He spotted the Sunset from Equestria gesturing for him to take the long way around. He nodded and rushed away from her, leaving the native Sunset looking bewildered.

A few minutes later, he caught up to Sunset Shimmer among the potted plants along the walls of the mall, his face red.

"Well, _that_ was embarrassing," he muttered, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Why did you have me go out of my way like that?"

"She might have followed you and seen me if you'd come straight at me," Sunset whispered. "I've been dodging her for years. If she knew there was a girl who looked just like her running around, she'd start questioning her whole life."

"Well… anyway…" Flash said. "We have a lot to talk about."

"I'm sorry," Sunset said immediately. "I humiliated you, and… please forgive me. I didn't mean what I said. Well, I did, but… I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay, Sunset Shimmer," Flash said softly. "I can deal with guys picking on me. I was more worried about you."

"My reputation can't possibly get any more trashed," she said, smirking. "Word getting out that I'm 'loose' is a step up. But… look, about the lyrics…"

"Don't sweat it," Flash said. "In all honesty, I was _thrilled_ to find out that you want me to… to touch you. I haven't before because… I just thought there was more to our relationship than just physical stuff."

Sunset took one of Flash's hands in both of hers and pressed it against her heart. "Of course there is," she said. "Let me ask you: have you ever had a strong sexual attraction to a unicorn?"

"Um… no," Flash said slowly.

She smirked. "That was quite a lengthy pause before answering…"

"Uh…"

Sunset waved a hand. "Let's pretend your hesitation was because it was a weird question. But, let's take a look at you…" She squeezed both of his shoulders and looked at his chest, then his face. "In my mind, you're a different species. I'm attracted to you because of who you are on the inside. I always have been, even the first time we were dating… even though I didn't know what my feelings meant at the time."

He ran his fingers through her hair. "You're great, Sunset," he said. "I think awkward stuff like this is good for us. I _live_ for these moments of truth."

Sunset sniffled. "Damn it, I… I am so in lo—"

She was reaching forward to kiss Flash, but something behind him caught her eye. "Oh, look, she followed you anyway," she said dryly.

Flash turned. It was the other Sunset.

"Aaaand she's looking right at me," said Sunset through a tight grimace. "Come on, let's book!"

Sunset ran away, pulling Flash along by his hand, as the other Sunset stared after them in sheer disbelief.

-0-0-0-0-0-

A girl walked along the frosty sidewalks toward a college campus filled with snow-covered buildings. She was loaded down by her overly-layered winter clothes, overstuffed backpack, and rolling suitcase. A tiny purple-and-green dog bobbed along at her side.

"This is it, Spike," Twilight whispered. "We're finally going to Canterlot University! Let me see if I have our dorm number…" She searched her pockets, but her gloves and multiple coats made the search difficult.

"I've got it, Twilight."

Twilight lifted her head and beamed. "Sunset!" She bounded forward and hugged her friend tightly. "Where have you been? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sunset said, setting down her own suitcase and bending down to pet Spike. "I had kind of a weird encounter at the mall… I'll tell you about it later."

Twilight nodded brightly. "Okay."

The tall and inviting figures of Twilight's brother and his girlfriend bounded out of the campus. Shining Armor, in his red campus sports jacket with his shield emblazoned on the back, lifted Twilight off her feet in a crushing hug. "Twilie!" he proclaimed joyfully.

"Hi, big brother," Twilight responded in a choked voice.

He set her down and ruffled her hair. "Congrats on graduating early, little sis. And in the middle of the school year, to boot. We're all super-proud of you."

"Thank you," Twilight said, blushing. "Cadance!"

Twilight and Cadance embraced. Cadance's winter clothes hugged her figure, and she wore a long skirt over her warm pants.

"Congratulations, Twilight," Cadance said. "I knew you had it in you. Can't wait to show you to your dorm. And you too, Sunset Shimmer!" Still hugging Twilight, Cadance held out a hand and grasped Sunset's. "I'm gonna enjoy going to college with both of you!" She blinked at Sunset uncertainly. "Are you okay?"

"She had a weird encounter at the mall and she's going to tell me about it later," Twilight said matter-of-factly.

"All right then," Shining Armor said, shrugging. "Shall we take you to your dorm?"

"Lead on, BBBFF," Twilight said brightly.

The four of them walked down the campus' cobblestone paths, Spike panting happily at their heels.

"I admit I'm a bit nervous," Twilight said. "Even walking around town, I wonder if anything can be normal with that lunatic Nightmare Moon on the loose…"

"Ugh, I know how you feel," Shining Armor said. "The whole world's kind of been thrown out of whack. I can't even imagine what would happen if she turned up here."

"You know, they say she got her weaponry from a high school science lab," Sunset said flippantly. "Maybe she'll turn up at the university's lab, try to filch something better."

Cadance snorted. "That's absurd."

"Is it?" Sunset challenged. "They also say she's your aunt Luna. That would add up, wouldn't it? Your aunt stealing technology from her own high school?"

"Nightmare Moon is _not_ my aunt Luna," Cadance retorted. "Aunt Luna is… missing. And Aunt Celestia's devastated enough about that _without_ people accusing her missing sister of being some kind of… of 'supervillain'!" She made air quotes around the last word snidely.

"Have I met your aunts Celestia and Luna?" Twilight said thoughtfully. "They're the principals of Canterlot High, right?"

"That's right," Cadance said. "And no, I don't think you have met them."

"No, I did," Twilight said. "A month ago, at that big gala you invited me to. They recognized me, then they tried to pretend that they… didn't."

"Really?" Shining Armor said, furrowing his brow in concern. "That's odd. Why would they do that?"

"And how would they recognize you in the first place?" Cadance added. "I'll ask Aunt Celestia about that… eventually. I think she's a bit too distraught for awkward questions right now."

"All right," Twilight said softly.

"Well, here's your dorm, girls," Shining Armor said, indicating the nondescript building. "I guess Cadance can help you two get settled."

"Actually, can it just be the two of us?" Sunset asked. "I really want to talk to Twilight. We'll catch up with you two in a couple of minutes."

Cadance shrugged. "Okay."

"Come on, Spike," Twilight said.

Twilight and Sunset walked into the dorm together and found their room. Sunset hopped onto one of the beds and sat motionless. Spike hopped onto her bed with her and curled up in her lap, while Twilight began unpacking her suitcase and backpack.

"Aren't you going to decorate your space?" Twilight asked.

"I'm not much for decorating."

"But you have to decorate your half of the room!" Twilight exclaimed. "It says so in all the books."

"Books," Sunset repeated dully.

"Yeah!"

Twilight unpacked a poster and stuck it to the wall; it depicted a unicorn under a night sky lit by stars and a rainbow. Sunset raised an eyebrow as Twilight unpacked more posters, buttons, and figurines of all sizes, each one depicting a different unicorn.

"What?" Twilight said defensively, noticing Sunset's amused derision. "I like unicorns. I always have. You know that."

"Yeah," Sunset said cheerfully. "So, listen… let me tell you about what happened at the mall."

"Okay," Twilight said.

"You're probably not gonna believe me…" Sunset muttered, scratching the back of her neck.

"I'll try to," Twilight said sincerely.

"I appreciate that," Sunset said. "Okay, here goes…"


	7. Chapter 7

**The Vice Principal in the Moon**

Hey folks! Sorry about the delay. Really, reeeeeeally sorry…

I'm caught up in the excitement of waiting for Season 4! Which reminds me: now is a good time to mention that, since I've had a plot more or less prepared since the story began, anything that occurs in Season 4 will not affect the elements, concepts, or plot points of this story right here. While you're reading this, just pretend that _Equestria Girls_ is the most recent installment of the series.

Anyways, I think this will be a rather satisfying installment… and it may have to tide you over for a while, because when I say the plot is "more or less" pre-prepared, I mean mostly… "less".

**Chapter Seven**

-0-0-0-0-0-

Twilight exited the Canterlot University coffee shop accompanied by her brother, Cadance, and Sunset. It was nighttime, and snowing lightly. The four of them laughed and chatted as they walked along, unaware of Nightmare Moon standing on the café roof.

The armored figure jumped off the top of the building, flipping through the air before making a perfect three-point landing in front of the four students, her left hand on the ground, and her right hand grasping her electric spear up over her head.

She lifted her head, her catlike eyes gleaming. "I'm here for Twilight Sparkle," she said. "If none of you protect her, I need not hurt you."

Shining Armor's immediate reaction was to charge at her fists raised. Nightmare Moon stood erect rapidly and grabbed his throat with her free hand, throwing him over thirty feet. He collided with a brick wall and tumbled to the ground.

Nightmare Moon spun her spear and whacked Twilight in the head with the shaft. Twilight let out a soft moan and her legs buckled. The black-skinned woman wrapped an arm around the girl's stomach before she collapsed. With Twilight firmly in hand, she aimed the tip of her spear at Cadance.

"Hello, niece," she said sweetly.

Cadance paled. "No… you can't _really_ be my Aunt Luna… can you?"

"Maybe," Nightmare Moon replied. "Will I be getting any backtalk from you, or will you go tend to your sweetheart?"

Cadance took a deep breath, then grabbed the spear's shaft and tried to wrench it away from her.

"Wrong choice," Nightmare Moon said sadly. She twisted the spear out of Cadance's grip and lifted an armored leg, kicking her solidly in the face. She spun yet again, positioning her spear under Sunset Shimmer's chin.

"And for the fake Sunset Shimmer? What will your action be?"

Sunset didn't respond.

"Hmmm, a pale imitation of the real thing indeed," Nightmare Moon said, baring her fangs in a grin. "Farewell."

She leapt toward another building with Twilight under her arm; her single bound didn't take her to the top of the building, but she scaled the remainder of its wall without using her hands and disappeared over its roof.

Sunset rushed to Cadance's side. "Are you okay?"

Cadance was flat on her back, her nose gushing blood. "I'm fine," she mumbled, putting her hands over her own face. "What about Shining Armor? And Twilight?"

Sunset walked over to Shining Armor, who was slowly getting to his feet.

"What are you, stupid?" Sunset demanded. "What'd you think, that you could charge at her fists a-blazing? You're here on a golf scholarship, jackass! And you know what she's capable of!"

Shining Armor glared at her. "She was going after my sister! I couldn't just _let_ her!"

"Well, whether you let her or not, it was gonna happen," Sunset sneered. "Some things you just can't fight."

~0~0~0~

It was early in the morning. Twilight and her friends waited in the mirror chamber in the Crystal Palace. Twilight paced around an enormous open book that she had set on the floor.

The door opened, and their zebra friend entered, escorted by two crystal guards.

"Ah, Zecora," Twilight said with relief, trotting over to greet her. "Thank you so much for coming at such short notice."

"Do not thank me, the pleasure is mine," Zecora said graciously. "It's an honor to see a place of such great design."

"Well, I hope you don't mind if we get straight to business," said Twilight. "It's a bit urgent… I want you to take a look at some of the magical procedures in this book. They seem to be a bit beyond the realm of Equestrian magic; I hoped you'd have some input on them."

Zecora stepped up to the book and examined its pages.

"See, I didn't find anything in Canterlot," Twilight explained hastily. "But as it turns out, when the mirror was moved here, so was all the information on it."

Zecora continued scanning the page in silence.

"I think it _might_ be about breaching the barrier between the worlds," Twilight added. "A backdoor… so we don't have to wait for the mirror."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Six teenage girls were crammed into Rarity's car, looping around the mall in search of a parking space. The sun was barely up, but already the parking lots were crammed.

"Ooh, we'll never get to the good stuff at this rate," Rarity fretted. "I had a feeling we should have come earlier. Why don't I listen to those nagging doubts?"

"Because none of us would have come if it was any earlier?" Rainbow said dryly. "If you want me as backup, you start good and late if you know what's good for ya."

"Hey, Rarity, hit the brakes," Sunset said abruptly. "Look at this."

Rarity stopped the car, and the girls all followed Sunset's gaze to a gray concrete warehouse across the street from the mall. Above its front doors was a painting of a crescent moon against a black sky.

"Is that…?" Applejack muttered.

"Yeah, that's Nightmare Moon's emblem," Sunset said, nodding. "That warehouse must be where she's hiding out."

"Why would she paint her symbol right there on the outside like that?" Fluttershy whispered.

Sunset shrugged. "It's not like anyone who isn't from Equestria would recognize it. She's taking a risk."

"Well, she shouldn't have," Rainbow said with a vicious grin, jumping out of the car.

"Where are you going?" Sunset called after her. "Are you just gonna walk right into the warehouse?"

"That's right," Rarity agreed, pulling the keys out of the ignition.

"_And_ you're double-parking, that's great," Sunset muttered as all the others started jumping purposefully out of the car. "Are you guys nuts? She'll tear you to pieces! I'm not going in there without proper protection."

"Well, then, you stay and watch the car," Rainbow shot back.

Sunset sighed and got out of the car, following the others. "Okay, but when we all get killed, the rest of you are taking the blame. None of this is on me."

"Deal," Rainbow said casually. She led the way, pushing the warehouse doors open wide and striding in far ahead of all the others.

The warehouse was stacked with old dusty boxes, and the rafters up above were ugly and cobwebbed.

"Okay, let's do this _carefully_…" said Sunset through gritted teeth.

"HEY, NIGHTMARE MOON!" Rainbow bellowed. "YOU IN HERE?"

"For the love of—" Sunset said shrilly.

"Is someone there?" said a voice. "Someone help me!"

Pinkie froze. "Is that who I think it is?"

"I hope so," said Fluttershy anxiously. She turned to Sunset. "Could it be Nightmare Moon in disguise?"

Sunset shrugged. "Without magic? I doubt it. I think that's the genuine article."

"Twilight, where are you?" Pinkie called.

"I'm here in the corner! Can you hear me?"

Pinkie raced after the source of the voice, and found Twilight tied to a chair, jammed between the wall and a stack of boxes.

"Twilight!" Pinkie said in delight, squeezing into the cramped space and gently tugging the chair out into the open. "Everyone! I found Twilight!"

The others gathered around, barely containing their glee. Twilight eyed them all, suddenly a bit apprehensive. "Um… have I been on the news already or something?" she said, hoping that was the obvious answer.

"Oh…" Pinkie said sadly. "I'm sorry. I know you have no idea who we are, but we're _so_ happy to see you. You're a very good friend of ours."

"That doesn't make any…" Twilight began, before spotting Sunset Shimmer hiding behind the others. "Wait… Sunset, is that you?"

"No," Sunset replied, stepping out into the open. "Well, yes, I _am_ Sunset Shimmer… but no."

Twilight tilted her head in confusion.

~0~0~0~

"Ah, yes, here is your 'secret backdoor'," said Zecora, pointing to some of the glyphs and runes on the page. "Something never attempted, so the author swore."

"Will it get us to the other world?" Twilight said sharply. "Say, today-ish?"

"It will, but it's magic of undue stress: the transference of consciousness."

"Transference…?" Twilight said softly.

Zecora nodded. "Your soul and destiny are in the process unfurled, and joined with your other self in the other world."

"My… other… self?" Twilight said blankly. "I'm not sure I follow you… but I suppose if you could say it any more clearly, you would."

Zecora shrugged. "It shall require both your and my kind of spell, or it runs the risk of not going well. You and I together would be best, for we have no chance to check or test."

"All right," Twilight said. "We'll start with me, then."

"Whoa, Twilight, this all sounds dangerous," Spike said hastily. "Try it on me, it won't hurt our chances as much if it doesn't work on me—"

"Oh, none of that, Spike," Twilight said affectionately. "If there's a risk of anything happening, I'll be the one to take it." She scanned the lines of text that Zecora was indicating to her. "So, this will link up my soul with the _other_ me? What does that do to her? Or my body?"

Zecora merely shrugged.

"Well, it's our only chance," Twilight submitted. "Let's get casting, Zecora."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"You're that girl Sunset said she saw at the mall," Twilight realized. "Who are you? Why do you look exactly like her?"

"Because I _am_ her," Sunset said simply, undoing Twilight's bonds and helping her stand up. "I'm Sunset Shimmer from another world. I live here now… and I'm not the only thing that's crossed over. Nightmare Moon is a spirit of darkness that used to possess my Princess Luna. She's taken over the Luna from this side, and I think she came after you because it was the other Twilight who defeated her."

Twilight raised her eyebrow. "Seriously? An alternate universe that has another me, another Sunset, another Luna…?"

Sunset shrugged. "I can't explain it, but I'm pretty sure that everyone you know has another 'self' in my world. Look, I can see you're not quite buying this, and that's okay, the point is, we need to get you away from Nightmare Moon. She may be after your inner spirit, your Element of Magic."

"You're right, I _don't_ buy it," Twilight grumbled. "I find it easier to believe she's a supervillain. That's… more plausible to me, than anything to do with _MAGIIIIIC_—"

The last word was choked out as she doubled over in pain, her body convulsing violently as she stumbled backwards and began to glow.

~0~0~0~

Twilight doubled over in pain, her body convulsing violently as she stumbled backwards and began to glow.

"Twilight!" Spike exclaimed.

Zecora blocked him from rushing to her side. "Leave her be," she whispered.

Twilight stood on her hind legs, her back against the wall, looking terrified. "What's happening to me? Who _are_ you?" she demanded.

She got back down to all fours. "I'm terribly sorry to have frightened you, Twilight," she said gently. "I hope this isn't a bad time. You see… I'm you from another world."

She stood erect again. "That… that's not possible! But… I see you… I feel you as you feel yourself…" She tilted her head. "Wait a second… are you a unicorn?"

Twilight dropped to all fours yet again, smiling and flapping her wings. "Well, I used to be. Now I'm what they call an alicorn."

She didn't stand erect this time, but her expression changed dramatically, a wide-eyed look of childish wonder. "I… I like unicorns…"

"This is wigging me out," Rainbow said in a stage whisper.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The six girls stared in surprise as Twilight carried on this conversation with herself, leaning against a stack of boxes.

"Glad to hear it," she said with a little smile. "Twilight, I need your help. My world is in trouble, and I think maybe yours is too."

"Oh, for sure," she agreed, standing upright. "Things are absolutely insane. Nightmare Moon's running rampant, and now all these girls who were _your_ friends think they're _my_ friends. They're nuts."

"Hmm, she puts the pieces together quick," Sunset observed, smirking at the others.

Twilight leaned against the boxes once again. "I don't know if we have time for me to explain everything… here, go through my memories. That should tell you all you need to know."

Twilight's muscles slackened and she went still, seemingly staring off into space.

~0~0~0~

After a few moments of that, Twilight shook her head to clear it, flapping her wings eagerly.

"I understand," she said. "I totally get it! So much makes sense now! Oooooh, this is so thrilling! I'll do everything I can to help you, Twilight. But… well, we can't stay like this. We're already getting weird looks, on your side _and_ mine."

"So what do you propose?" she said.

"You stay in my body, I'll stay in yours," she said simply. "We'll rejoin our minds to coordinate with each other at the end of each day. This way, no one else has to have this spell cast on them, and we can work together to protect the portal! Heck, if we stop Nightmare Moon, she won't even have any use for it when it opens. Once it's over, we go back to normal."

"Hmm… that's a very solid plan." Twilight put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "But Twilight, are you sure you're up for it? I've been to your world. The girls there with you are my friends. But my world will be completely alien to you, and you'll be among strangers. Do you think you can handle it?"

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Twilight, have some faith in me," Twilight laughed, pacing the floor. "If you got used to my world and my body in just a few days, I can get used to yours. I'll be okay. I'm you, after all."

She stopped and nodded solemnly. "All right then. I… I do have faith in you. Of course I do. Are you ready? We'll switch… right now."

Twilight shut her eyes tightly and clenched her fists in concentration.

~0~0~0~

Twilight shut her eyes tightly, her legs and wings taut and rigid. There was a surge of energy, and she collapsed to the ground.

The others gathered around her.

"So… Twilight's gone to the human world?" Fluttershy whispered. "And _this_ is the human Twilight?"

After a few seconds, her eyes fluttered open and she stood up… on her hind legs. She attempted to walk, but was terribly unbalanced.

"All fours, Twilight," Spike said gently. "You're built to walk on all fours now."

"Right… of course," she said, dropping. "I get it now… ah, that's actually pretty comfortable." She did a double-take at Spike. "Spike? You're… you're my pet _dragon_ in this world?"

"I'm nopony's pet," he said smugly. "But I'm here to help you out with whatever you need, as long as you're here." He took her hoof in his claws. "I'll be just as helpful as I've always been to _my_ Twilight. My best weapon is ruthless efficiency! And fear. And surprise."

"Give her room to breathe, Spike," Applejack said harshly. "You okay, sugarcube?"

"Sure… just a bit dizzy," Twilight muttered. She blinked as she looked around at the group. "You… you're that same bunch of girls who were just with me at the warehouse. But you're… you're ponies." She shrieked with laughter and pranced in place. "This is so exciting! I love ponies! What's this world like? Can you show me around? Is this the mirror that serves as the gateway? Are we in the Crystal Empire? Can I see the crystal ponies? What does my brother look like as a pony? And Cadance? Ahh, I've gotta see everything!" She darted out the door and into the palace.

"Presenting, for your viewing pleasure, the _other_ Twilight Sparkle," Spike said dryly, gesturing toward the door.

Rainbow Dash raced out the door and caught up with Twilight. "Hey, Twi, take it easy, will you?" she said, grabbing her around the middle. "I thought you were here on a mission."

Twilight shrugged. "Sorry… and I'd really _like_ to be productive, honest I would. But what can we really do on this side? Nightmare Moon's in _my_ world."

"Yes, the other you shall be the one with the more action-packed task," Rarity agreed, catching up. "However, Princess Twilight has certain duties as a public figure. We don't want anypony thinking you're an impostor. We tend to be sensitive about that sort of thing around here since the royal wedding."

"What happened at the royal wedding?" Twilight said blankly.

"Long story," Rainbow replied. "_Great_ story. And we'll have time to tell you a lot of stories; you'll get the tour of our world that you're after. But we can't have you acting like an alien, all right? Ease up on the geeking out."

Twilight hung her head. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, really," Rainbow assured her, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "Believe me, you're not doing anything the other you wouldn't do."

"Ya got friends here, so just stay calm," Applejack added, the rest of the group trailing behind her. "We'll get you settled in, introduce you to folks one at a time. You'll fit right in in no time."

Twilight nodded. "Thank you, every… _pony_."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Twilight was flat on her back. Her eyes fluttered open. She held a hand in front of her face, grinning at the oddly comfortable sensation as she wiggled and flexed her fingers.

A white hand reached out and took hers, lifting her to her feet. Twilight smiled at Rarity, then cried out in surprise as the others scrambled to greet and hug her.

"TWILIGHT TWILIGHT TWILIGHT!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

"We've missed you so much," Fluttershy whispered in her hear.

"Hello, everyone!" she said in delight, trying her best to look at each of their faces in turn. "I can't believe I'm back here! I've missed you… it's so good to see you all again."

"Is it?" Rarity said slyly. "Did you hear that, Sunset? She missed us… even though she has 'another set back home'."

"Sunset?" Twilight breathed.

The girls parted around her, revealing Sunset Shimmer standing sheepishly against a stack of boxes. Twilight rushed at her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Hi, Sunset," she said softly.

Sunset uneasily raised her arms, returning the hug awkwardly.

"It's good to see you again," Twilight whispered. "When this is over, please come back to Equestria with me. It's your home. It's where you belong."

"I… I'll think about it," said Sunset. "That's all I can say."

"Fine then." Twilight beamed at all the others. "Oh, I so look forward to catching up! Then we're gonna put an end to Nightmare Moon's schemes—from here _and_ from my world! The magic of friendship is in jeopardy, and we're all going to save it together! BADA-BOOM!"


End file.
